


Danganronpa: Yakuza Arc Part 1

by Humble_Chad



Series: Danganronpa: Yakuza Arc [1]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa 3: The End of 希望ヶ峰学園 | The End of Kibougamine Gakuen | End of Hope's Peak High School, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Action, Alt timeline, Crime, F/M, Mystery, Romance, Tsundere, Yakuza, alt universe, killing game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-27
Updated: 2018-01-27
Packaged: 2019-03-04 20:12:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 48,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13372218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Humble_Chad/pseuds/Humble_Chad
Summary: "Danganronpa: Yakuza Arc" follows Hajime Hinata and Natsumi Kuzuryu in an alternate timeline. In this timeline, Natsumi survives her murder attempt. Natsumi and Hajime begin to slowly develop a relationship, and Hajime soon finds himself sucked into a world of crime, danger, betrayal, chivalry and death. In this alternate history, Hajime takes an unexpected and dangerous path, altering the course of events of the entire Danganronpa universe.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> In the brief amount of time she was in DR3, I was intrigued by Natsumi's interactions with Hajime. I instantly saw lots of potential for character development and a fantastic story. I had such faith in the idea that I decided to flesh it out myself. This is the first real fanfiction I have ever done and I'm very conscious about the quality. I don't want it to feel like fan fiction. I want it to feel like legitimate Danganronpa canon. That is the level of quality I am aiming towards. I have really put a lot of effort and thought into this. I hope you all enjoy it.

The sound of grinding stone echoed through the dusty labyrinth as the stone entrance automatically sealed itself shut. The pittering sounds of rain and the distant howling of the rioting crowd were suddenly silenced. A white haired boy and a petite, short haired girl stood in nearly total darkness. _“Well…. shall we go?”_ Asked the boy in a calm, nonchalant tone of voice.

Chiaki felt a chilling sensation in her spine and a slight hint of nausea. Nothing about this place seemed right. A singular word rattled around in her brain. **_Tomb_ **

_“S-Shouldn’t we go back and tell the others?”_ She asked, nervously. Nagito stared ahead with a dull-eyed smile, peering into the darkness that lay before them.

_“You can do that if you want. In fact, it might be better if you weren’t here for this.”_ He answered calmly before stepping deeper into the dark corridors at a determined pace. Chiaki hesitated for a moment before reluctantly following along.  It wasn’t long before the pair reached a room that looked starkly out of place. It had the appearance of a typical Hope’s Peak student dorm. There was an extensive PC setup, with eight monitors and a tablet workstation. The room smelled of cheap incense, attempting to mask the saccharine odor of blood. Unpleasant events had transpired in this room, recently.

Hunched over the desk was a lithe boy with long hair and a pale complexion. It took Chiaki a few moments to recognize him. _“Wait. Is that you, Ryota? Did you…. uh….. lose weight?”_ She asked, perplexed at seeing her previously rotund friend in such a sickly, skinny condition. The boy stared back at her, with a bewildered, manic expression.

There was a brief moment of pause before he stammered out,  _“This isn’t what it looks like! I never wanted any of this to happen! You have to believe me!”_

The boy was interrupted by a tall blonde girl, who casually strolled into the room from the side entrance. She had a busty chest and distinct sense of fashion. She was recognizable from a mile away as the one and only Junko Enoshima.  _“Come on, don’t be so hard on yourself, bucko. Your art is gonna change the world as we know it. Everyone's a critic these days, but don’t worry. I will always be your number one fan~”_ She giggled as she stroked Ryota Mitarai’s trembling chin. Chiaki was speechless, unable to fully take in the bizarre spectacle she was witnessing. Nagito, on the other hand, was unphased and actually seemed amused.

_“Excuse me miss. Could you please tell me your name and what exactly is going on here?”_ He asked politely, with an unassuming smile.

Junko turned to face the intruders with a mixture of suspicion and amusement.  _“I could ask you the same thing. Or better yet, how you even found this place,”_ She responded flatly, in a cold tone of voice

_“Luck, I suppose. I basically tripped over it. I’m the ultimate lucky student, after all. Gotta say, it comes in handy sometimes”_ Nagito said, giving a light chuckle and scratching his head.  _“My name is Nagito Komaeda. Now, please answer my question.”_ Junko’s demeanor suddenly changed to an innocent wide eyed, sickeningly sweet kawaii girl

_“Aww, ok! what the heck. I guess the cat’s out of the bag, now! Congrats. You caught me. This is so embarrassing! I feel like I just got hit with a gust of wind and now my panties are revealed for the whole world to see! Oh the shame!”_  Junko whined, clutching her chest with mocking dramatization. She cracked a grin and eyed Nagito with a raised eyebrow. _“So…. yeah. All that nasty bloodshed over the past month has been my doing. Junko Enoshima, the ultimate despair, at your service”_ She said, with a bow.

Chiaki stared, agape, at Junko and then back at Nagito. The two of them seemed unphased by this whole encounter, but she could feel the crushing tension in the air. Her knees felt weak and she struggled to stay standing. Her “flight or fight” reflexes were kicking in. Something seriously bad was going to happen, she just knew it.

_“Wow. I can’t believe it. Trash like me, brought face to face with the ultimate despair, for one final showdown. This might just be the luckiest day of my life. I have never felt hope like this.To be given such an opportunity is just… too much”_ Nagito looked as if he was on the verge of crying with joy.

_“waaaait a minute... I see! You must be that hope fanboy who went MIA! I’ve heard about you. Interesting….”_ Junko grinned smugly, crossing her arms, looking Nagito over and sizing him up. _“Look, I get that this is a big deal for you and everything, but you shouldn’t count your chickens before they hatch. I think that despair is gonna win this round. You two aren’t leaving here alive. Sorry to break it to you buddy, but you won’t be bragging about this to any of your friends.”_

Nagito brushed off the threat with a glib but earnest smile. _“I don’t have any friends, Miss Enoshima. And neither do you, at the moment. Miss Pekoyama is keeping Mukuro Ikusaba busy. So, she won’t be interrupting our little meeting.”_ He said, before reaching into his coat pocket and pulling out a 9MM handgun, aiming it directly at Junko. “ _Picked this badboy up in the states. I knew it would come in handy”_

Chiaki’s eyes shot wide open and she stared at Nagito with amazement and horror.  _“Komaeda, no! You can’t just kill someone like this! This is cold blooded murder!”_

Junko stood there, as calm as ever, eyeing Nagito with skepticism and curiosity.  _“So, what are you gonna do? Shoot me? That’s it?_ **_That’s_ ** _your big plan? That seems a little anticlimactic, don’t you think? What about the “ultimate showdown between hope and despair” you were just talking about? If my plan comes to fruition, the entire world will be the ultimate stage where hope and despair can duke it out! Unrestrained! No holds barred! Shouldn’t you, of all people, want to see it through to the end?”_

Nagito lowered the gun slightly, showing a sign of hesitation. _“I will admit, that proposition is very tempting. It sounds truly spectacular when you put it that way. But in my current position, I really don’t think I can allow such unmitigated despair to have its way. Even I have my limits. I won’t let you talk your way out of this one. Your plans end here, Enoshima._ ” he said, before regaining his focus and aiming the gun squarely at Junko.

Junko put her hands on her hips with a confident sneer on her face.  _“Oh come on. Stop trying to play the hero. From your perspective, despair is just a stepping stone for hope, isn’t it?! So why not let despair run amok for just a little bit? It’s all just a stepping stone in the end, right?”_  
  
Nagito smiled understandingly, as if Junko just struck a chord in his heart. _“You make a valid point, Enoshima. I could, hypothetically, just look the other way, let your plans unfold, and then ride the waves of despair to new heights of hope that I haven’t even dared to dream of. The thought has crossed my mind.”_ Junko grinned from ear to hear, raising her arms to her sides in a welcoming gesture.

_“Then what are you waiting for? Hop on the despair train with us! Just for a little while! We’ve got room for one more! We have an exciting future awaiting us! Without hope, there can be no despair, and vice versa! You know that it’s true! We need each other, Nagito! We were made for each other! Imagine wha-”_ ***Bang*** ****  
  
A loud gunshot rang through the room, with a deafening crack. The sound echoed off the tight quarters and made everyone’s ring. The sulfur smell of gunpowder filled the room. Then a second shot was fired. Both shots hit Junko in the chest, center mass. Was it luck or precision? It did not matter.

Junko looked down at her chest, with a bemused grin on her face. She looked at the two holes in her chest that were gushing blood, staining her clothes. She chuckled to herself slightly, coughing blood as it oozed into her punctured lungs. In a gurgly voice she muttered. _“Heh heh…. W-well….. This wasn’t…. supposed…….”_

Chiaki fell to her knees, covering her mouth in horror. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. Mitarai ran to a corner of the room and vomited into a waste bin. Junko collapsed to her knees, staring up at the ceiling as her vision grew hazy. She choked out blood, while a sinister grin crept across her face. A red blush crossed her cheeks as she smiled deliriously. She had a look of euphoria, as she clutched her gushing wounds, unable to prevent the flow of blood leaving her body.

_“This… This_ **_despair_ ** _…..It…It..….”_ Junko hunched forward onto the floor, her rear end sticking up in the air slightly, her arms slumped at her sides. Her cheek was pressed to the floor, her eyes stared blankly, that haunting grin still distorting her visage.

Junko Enoshima was dead.


	2. Chapter 2

**1.5 Years Earlier**

Hajime Hinata watched the morning sun crown over the main student building of Hope’s Peak. It was the same ritual he performed every morning since he arrived at the academy. On his way to the reserve building, he would always take a moment to stare contemptuously at the ivory tower that he would never be able to ascend. The young man couldn’t help but immerse himself in envy and self loathing.

_(Is there anything worse than being mediocre?)_ Hajime asked himself.

Yes, there was. Those who are truly mediocre typically realize that they are mediocre, and they are able to happily accept their station in life.  However, those who have just a little extra kernel of intelligence or potential, they are the most cursed of all. When they are young they are filled with an insidious hope. They might score well in early IQ tests and become  labelled as “gifted.” They are told by their parents that they are special and that the world is their oyster.

_(Lies. All of it)_

As they age, these hopeful youths begin to discover that their potential has been greatly over exaggerated, by those around them. They watch as the true geniuses in their generation begin to take full bloom, while they stagnate. They begin to realize that the difference between themselves and a true genius, might as well be the distance between the dirt and the stars. That is true despair. To be teased with promises of greatness, only to realize that it was all for the self congratulation of your elders. Simply being a notch or two above average simply doesn’t mean much in the real world. It might mean the difference between middle and upper middle class, but it would never bring you into the realm of true genius and exceptionalism. So, these hopeful youths are destined to scramble and scrounge for whatever taste of greatness they can latch onto, like a beggars fighting over scraps of a fine steak.  Some of them seek to be closer to greatness, so that it might rub off on them. This is what Hajime Hinata did.

He lacked talent. He lacked hobbies and interests with which he could devote himself to and perfect. He lacked athleticism. He wasn’t even the most studious among his peers. Nevertheless, he hungered for greatness. If he didn’t possess it inherently, maybe all he had to do was seek it out. There was one place where he knew he could do that. Hope’s Peak. Hope’s Peak was only for the truly exceptional. Only the absolute paragons of talent and genius had a chance of attending. However, that all changed when they announced the Hope’s Peak “Reserve Program.” It was essentially a conjoined academy for those like him. The mere upper crust of the talentless masses. Hajime dedicated his final year in junior high entirely to his studies and begged his parents endlessly to front the costs for tuition. He told them that this school would change his life forever, that its name alone would set him on a path to life success and a lucrative career. He managed to convince them to spend his college savings, so that he could attend this school.

In the end, he was successful in attaining this goal. For once, he really dedicated himself to a singular, attainable goal, and he had achieved it. Here he was, at the doorstep of Olympus, but was he any closer to fulfilling his ambitions?

\------------

Hajime walked through the Hope’s Peak courtyard to a solitary bench next to a large stone fountain. He checked his watch and the note he had been given. The time on the note read “7:30AM.” The old man was a few minutes late. Hajime straightened and fidgeted with his tie. He wore a black business suit, which was well within the reserve course uniform requirements. In fact, it was much more formal than what most of the guys wore. Finally, he recognized an elderly, hunched figure approaching him. Kazuo Tengan had his hands behind his back as usual, and he greeted Hajime with a friendly smile.

_“Good morning, Mr Hinata. I just wanted to check up on you, see how you are acclimating to your life here at Hope’s peak”_ He said, taking a seat next to Hajime

_“You mean the board wants to check up on me to see if I’ve got an answer. I assume they’re getting impatient, right?”_ Hajime responded, bluntly.

The old man smiled innocuously. _“Well, i would be lying if I said they weren’t eager to get an answer out of you. It has been two months since you arrived here. A lot is riding on you. You are the only one in the reserve course who meets the ideal requirements, from a genetic and physiological standpoint. You are the one they need”_ He said, in a somber tone. Hajime was silent. He looked up at the Hope’s Peak building, deep in thought. Tengan paused for a moment before speaking again.

_“I know it’s not an easy decision to make. You would be choosing to become an entirely new person. I can’t blame you for not wanting to go through with it. In fact, if you want my personal advice, Mr Hinata, I can tell you this. Greatness is severely overrated. Exceptionalism, talent, genius, power. These things do not equate to happiness or satisfaction. In fact, it is generally the opposite.”_ Hajime looked at the old man with confusion and bewilderment. This is not what he expected to hear from him. 

_“Uh, is that really something that the headmaster of Hope’s Peak should say?”_

Tengan chuckled heartily, so hard that he coughed. _“That’s “ex” headmaster, my boy. I can say whatever I like, now. Plus, I'm not getting any younger. So, I might as well start telling the truth. The greatest lie that has been told to your generation, is that you need to pursue lofty careers and earn the respect and adoration of strangers in order to have fulfillment in life. That simply isn’t the case. So many of you pursue these lofty goals and end up as smoking craters of disappointment. In the end, happiness is actually a lot easier to attain than people realize. That is the big joke of life. And that is why, I think it would be best if you turned back now. There is nothing for you here at Hope’s Peak.”_

Tengan said, standing up and putting his hand on Hajime’s shoulder. He looked down at him and Hajime could see the earnestness in his eyes, with a hint of regret.  _“This is off the record, Mr Hinata. The board wouldn’t approve of me saying this, but I am advising you to give up these blusterous ambitions of yours. There is no shame in being average. Go home. Find a nice girl, settle down, enjoy your life. If you decide to follow my advice, just give me a call. I can get you a full refund and have you on your way. Farewell, Hajime.”_ He said, before he slowly walked away. Hajime checked his watch and realized that he should probably get moving. Class was going to start soon.

\------------

Hajime managed to arrive 5 minutes before class started. He ignored the chattering of the other students and went straight to his desk in the back, next to the window. He rested with his hand on his cheek, staring out the window, as he usually did, through most of class. Instead of daydreaming, this time he was fixated on Tengan’s words. Why would he tell him these things? And why did it rattle him so much? Was Hajime’s entire perspective wrong up until this point? What was Hajime really doing here, at this academy?

His thoughts were interrupted as the teacher called roll.  _“Imako Moto…….  Hideyo Hisekawa……. Hajime Hinata……. Mr Hinata?”_ Hajime sprung back to reality after his name was called a second time.  _“_

_Uh… Here”_ he said, a bit awkwardly, receiving a disapproving look from the teacher.  _“Try to not zone out before class has even started, Ok Mr Hinata?”_ The teacher said with a sigh.  After roll was taken, the teacher addressed the class, whilst adjusting his glasses.  _“As some of you may have heard, we have a new transfer student. Please do your best to welcome her”_ He said, before beckoning her into the room. That was when Hajime first laid his eyes on her.  She strode into the room with a cocky grin on her face. She had blonde hair and a cute body. Her cheeks had a natural blush to them and she had an aura around her that was unmistakable.  The way she carried herself and the look she had in her eyes brought one word to his mind.

_(Trouble)_

_“Please introduce yourself to the class, Miss Kuzuryu.”_ the teacher said, politely, as everyone’s eyes were on this new girl. First impressions are very important, especially in a high school setting. Usually, people decide in the first 15 seconds of meeting you, what kind of person you are and how they will view you, from here to eternity. First impressions are important to most people. Not to Natsumi Kuzuryu.

_“Ok fine. My name is Natsumi Kuzuryu. I’m not sure how I ended up getting shafted into a class filled with a bunch of rejects and plebs like you, but don’t expect me to stick around long. I'll be moving up and out of here in no time, so I have no interest in becoming friends with any of you jagoffs. I just wanted to clear that all up”_ She said, with a smug grin

_(Is this girl brain damaged or something?)_ Hajime wondered to himself

An awkward silence hung over the room. She just stood there with a condescending smirk of glib self satisfaction. Only a few of the girls murmured to each other. Even the teacher was shocked speechless. Looking flustered, he collected himself and sighed.   _“That will be enough of that, Miss Kuzuryu. Please find yourself an open desk.”_ The teacher grumbled, allowing her little arrogant outburst to slide. Hajime reached a grim realization as he looked to his right. The desk adjacent to him was vacant. Not only that, it was the only open desk in the room.  
  
( _Damn it to hell_ )

The blonde girl sauntered down the aisle to the back row, to the desk next to Hajime. She glanced down at him and narrowed her gaze.  _“What are you looking at?”_ She asked, standoffishly.

Hajime averted his eyes from her. He had not intended to stare at her. He was simply grappling with this new, blond-haired problem that was being added onto his already growing list. He assured himself that at least he could simply ignore her and that she would most likely ignore him. Realistically, he wouldn’t need to deal with her that much, on a daily basis.  
  
_“Hajime Hinata. Since you aren’t doing anything productive, how about you show miss Natsumi around the school.”_ The teacher ordered, with a tired sigh.  Hajime’s eyes glazed over with contempt.

_(Fuck you too)_ he retorted, in his mind.  He turned to look up at the uppity girl who had her arms crossed and was staring down at him.

“y _ou heard him. Get the lead out of your ass. Looks like you’re gonna be my personal tour slave”_ She said, stifling a chuckle.

_(Are tour slaves even a thing?!)_

\------------

Hajime escorted his new classmate through the halls of the school. She followed reasonably close behind, in a confident stride. _“How did I end up in this situation?”_ Hajime wondered to himself.

_“This honestly isn’t too much different than normal high schools, except that the classrooms, gym, practice building, club rooms, and pool are all in the same building, but are located on different floors. First we can head over to-..... Hey!”_ Hajime realized halfway through his description that Natusmi was playing a game on her cell phone as they were walking, not even paying attention to him. 

_“What the hell? Are you serious? I'm supposed to be giving you a tour here, and you’re messing around on your phone?”_ he asked, more than a little annoyed.

Natsumi chuckled and sneered at him. _“Look, I’ll be honest with you. I really, really don't care about any of this crap. I just saw this as a good excuse to get out of that boring classroom. What? Did you think I actually wanted to hang out with you or something? Fufufufu~ wow, that's so sad”_ She snickered Hajime closed his eyes and gritted his teeth into a forced smile as he clenched one of his fists at his side.

_(This….. bitch…….)_

At this moment, he had forgotten all about his existential identity crisis and his delusions of grandeur. Somehow, this chick was able to clear his head, albeit with pure annoyance and rage.

_“So, when do you think that nerdy, four eyed dipshit is going to expect us to be back? I want to milk this break for all it’s worth”_

Hajime actually found himself somewhat amused by the sudden jab at their teacher. The bluntness of the pointed insult was both unexpected and humorous to him. It managed to slightly ease his anger from earlier and improve his mood a few notches. If nothing else, this girl’s abrasive personality could at least be funny, when directed at someone they both disliked.

_“Honestly, he probably doesn’t even care when we get back.”_ Which was the truth. Hajime was a slacker and Natsumi was already a bad egg. The teacher was probably glad to be rid of both of them for a while.

Natsumi crossed her arms. _“So it’s just like I thought. There's nothing serious about this reserve course. This is all just some scam for fleecing money out of suckers. Its all just one big scam.“_ She said, in a matter-of-fact voice.  Hajime perked up at this. This was the first thing she had said that could allude to some kind of intelligent point. 

_“What do you mean by that?”_ Hajime asked, with genuine curiosity.

_“Look, buddy. I know a few things about racketeering. Say, that you go to an Italian restaurant in the west, that’s tied to the mob. You may go in and order a plate of spaghetti, but that place isn’t there to serve you spaghetti. It's there to act as a cover for the mob’s operations. Some guys are in the back of the place, cutting and dealing drugs. It may look like a restaurant, and yeah, It basically is. But that place wasn’t made to sell you food. Just like this place. This may look like a school, but really it’s just here to drag money of sad, delusional plebs like you, so the school can spend it on shit they actually care about.”_

What Natsumi said actually kind of blew Hajime’s mind. It seemed like she had already figured this place out. In truth the reserve program was really just a fleecing scam to funnel money into the pocket of the academy’s research department. More specifically, to the Izuru Kamukura project. Unlike Natsumi, he was actually privy to this information. 

_“Ok, that makes sense, but let me ask you this, Natsumi. If you know that this place is a waste of time, why did you even enroll here? It looks like the joke’s on you. I guess you’re just a “‘pleb’ like the rest of us”_ he shot back at her.

Natsumi’s pupils dilated. Her brow furrowed in anger and she stepped in close to Hajime, standing on her tiptoes, to get her face up to his height level. 

_“You better take that back, you fucking soyboy! I’ll have you know I belong to the Kuzuryu family! My father is the leader of a 30 thousand member clan, that goes back centuries! My brother is the ultimate gangster, Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu, in the 77th Hope’s Peak academy class!”_

Hajime was taken aback by this sudden burst of information. He hadn’t put the pieces together when he heard her name earlier. This bratty girl was connected to Japan’s most powerful Yakuza family? That explained her attitude, but if this was true, she might actually be dangerous. 

_“Woah, wait. Kuzuryu clan as in….. Yakuza? That’s nuts….. But you never answered my question, Natsumi. If you are so exceptional, what are you doing here, in the reserve course”_ he asked, backing away from her a bit, as their faces were still close.  
  
Natsumi looked away towards the ground, gritting her teeth. For a moment, he could catch a glimpse of shame and desperation on her face. Then she placed her hands on her hips, re asserting her confident, smug demeanor. 

_“Psh. This place is just a temporary stepping stone for me. I needed to get closer to Hope’s Peak and this was the best way to do it. Now that I'm here, I wont stop until they recognize me and transfer me to the main course. Then I can prove myself to my big brother.”_

Hajime looked at her with deep scepticism. Not only did she sound delusional, but he was starting to worry she had a brother complex. However, her words felt familiar to him.  _“Ok, fair enough, but don’t you actually need an ultimate talent for that to happen? That seems like a hole in your big master plan”_ he said, bluntly. Natsumi fumed and clenched her fists.  

_“I do have a talent, you dickweed! I am the ultimate little sister!”_ She said in a haughty voice, closing her eyes and placing her hand on her chest.

_(I think this girl is the ultimate bullshitter)_

Hajime scratched his head awkwardly, as Natsumi stood there, basking in her own glory.  _“Uh…. ok. But is that really a talent? How do you even quantify that? Do you really think they’re let you into Hope’s Peak just based on that?”_

Natsumi scoffed and looked at him with a glare of disgust and disdain. 

_“Do you think I care what your opinion is? Look, I'm getting into Hope’s Peak, one way or another.”_ After that she sighed and let her arms fall to her sides. _“Fuck, I don't want to talk about this anymore. I don’t even know why I'm talking about this with you.  You’re just pissing me off”_ She said in a dismissive tone. Hajime wiped his forehead and let out an exhausted sigh. Just talking to this girl sent his blood pressure through the roof. It was like a form of exercise. He ended up taking her on a full tour of the school. She thankfully put her phone away this time, but she seemed bored off her rocker and she constantly made snide remarks. By the time the “tour” was over it was around 11:00AM. Hajime checked his watch.

_“It’s getting about that time. You should probably grab some food before the crowds get bad. I already showed you where the cafeteria is already. I guess I’ll see you later then,”_ Hajime said, turning to walk away. But as he did, Natsumi grabbed the sleeve of his shirt angrily.  

_“Woah woah! Where do you think you’re going?”_ She asked in a peeved tone of voice.  

_“Uhh, to get food? I need it to live?”_ Hajime responded sardonically. _“What’s your deal?”_  
  
_“Use your brain, idiot! I’m not just gonna go in there, find somewhere to sit_ **_by myself_ ** _and eat my lunch alone like some kind of goddamn incel loser. Plus, if I’m there alone, who knows what kind of uggos might try to approach me. You are coming with me. End of story”_ She ranted, angrily, with a hint of blush on her cheeks.  Hajime’s eye twitched a bit and he looked into her eyes awkwardly. He inevitably caved.

_“Fine. Geez. Whatever. If it means that much to you, we can have lunch together.”_ Natsumi smugly smirked in victory.

_“Good boy. Just don’t let it go to your head,” she said, with a smug grin.  
_

\------------

The pair arrived at the cafeteria. They were a bit early, so the noon rush hadn’t hit yet. There wasn’t much of a line and there were plenty of free tables. _“Looks like we beat the crowds. This should be-......... Uh what are you doing?”_ Hajime turned to see that Natsumi had casually taken a seat at one of the tables. He raised an eyebrow at her in confusion.

_“You realize that they don't bring the food out to you. This is a cafeteria. Not a restaurant.”_ He said, once again annoyed.  _“_

_Oh, I know that. That’s why you’re going to go up there and bring my food to me”_ She said, with an arrogant grin. Hajime clenched his fist tightly. He stomped over to her and placed his hand down on the table, leaning in, hovering over her, glaring down into her eyes. 

_“Do I look like a goddamn waiter to you?”_ Natsumi crossed her arms and leaned back, a little surprised by his response. 

_“Woah…. You’re actually kinda scary when you’re like this.”_ She said, earnestly, looking up into his eyes. Then a smug grin crossed her lips.  _“You seem like the kind of guy who gets pushed around a lot by the whims of others. Piece of advice. You should stand up for yourself more often.”_ She said, looking up at him calmly

Hajime pulled away, blushing a bit and calming himself down. 

_“Uh, thanks……. I guess? I could give you some personality advice too, but I would probably need an entire goddamn book”_ He said, shaking his head.  

_“You’re welcome. Now, I would like the steak on rice and a salad on the side, with french dressing. And something to drink, obviously”_ she listed off, haughtily. Hajime was taken aback 

_“You’re still seriously expecting me get your food for you!?”_

_“Come on, just be a gentleman for once. You could have already gotten the food in the time you’ve been arguing with me.”_ She barked, crossing her arms.  It was at that moment Hajime realized it was time to take the path of least resistance. Carrying two trays of food was a lot easier than carrying on this conversation any further with this unbelievable young woman. Hajime had lost this round. He went through the line and picked up both their meals. He returned with trays in each hand. He set hers down in front of her and set his down as well. 

_“Well, let’s eat”_ he muttered. All this frustration had worked up his appetite.  
  
_“Hold it! What the fuck is this?”_ she asked, holding up the milk carton with a look of utter revilement on her face.  Hajime had already stuffed a mouthful of curry and rice in his mouth at this point. He looked up at her, with a bored expression. 

_“Uh, it's milk”_ he managed to mumble in between bites.  

_“Yeah! And guess what? I’m lactose intolerant! Are you trying to poison me or something?”_ She asked, tossing the carton to the side. It slid off the table and fell on the floor. Thankfully it didn’t burst.  _“Now, go grab something else. Nothing milk based!”_ she growled angrily

At this point, Hajime couldn’t even muster any anger towards her. He was starting to believe that fate was playing a cruel joke on him. So, he might as well play along. He stood up rigidly, and in a mocking fashion, he imitated a medieval servant. 

_“Of course. Right away, princess. Is there anything else your heart desires?”_ He said in an overly dramatic voice, bowing to her, comically.  Surprisingly, Natsumi’s face turned beet red and she seemed to recoil and withdraw as he did that, looking away from him. Her voice was softer and less assertive now.  

_“D-don't call me that….... Just get me some water”_ she almost whimpered. Her face still crimson.

Clearly, Hajime had touched upon some strange weakness of hers. It was truly bizarre to see such a radical change in her tone and demeanor. He shrugged it off and got her a bottle of water. By the time he had returned, she had already begun eating without him. He expected no less. The meal they shared together was a surprisingly quiet one. Hajime noted that she was a lot more tolerable when she didn’t talk. She might even be considered cute, but he still had ample reason to avoid her in the future. She was nothing but trouble.

\------------

The rest of the day went by reasonably fast. Natsumi didn’t give Hajime any more trouble and he was able to resume his usual task of blissfully fantasizing about the Hope’s Peak main course. His thoughts were interrupted when the intercom chimed its usual tune, signaling the end of the day. Hajime didn’t waste any time in packing up his things and heading to the usual spot, on the way home. He really needed this today.  
  
She was waiting for him where they usually met. A short haired, petite girl with a green jacket, a beige skirt, and a backpack sat on a park bench, next to a large fountain. It was the same spot he met Tengan earlier that day. It was located in a courtyard near the gates of the main course building. Around the fountain, there were many benches, which were usually vacant. There were hedge bushes and gardens in the surrounding area, making it one of the more serene locations on the campus.

The girl’s head was angled downward, as it usually was, engrossed in a handheld game. Chiaki Nanami was her name. She was known as the ultimate gamer. Hajime approached her, but she didn’t notice him, at first. 

_“Hey, Chiaki. Whatcha playing?”_ He asked, standing there with his hands in his pockets.  Chiaki looked up at him with her typical drowsy expression, but she smiled warmly. 

_“I’m playing the new “Bracer” game. It’s a reboot of a very old series that hasn’t had a sequel in many years. It’s a dungeon crawler made for co-op. I thought you might like it”_ She explained, handing Hajime her extra handheld.

Hajime took a seat next to her and fired up the game. He chose to be the wizard, while Chiaki was the barbarian. Hajime struggled with keeping enemies at a distance, but Chiaki backed him up. The two made a formidable team. Chiaki was obviously bearing most of the weight of combat, while Hajime lagged behind. 

_“Man, are there any games you don’t totally smoke me at? It must be amazing having a talent like this. You know, something that sets you apart from the crowd”_ Hajime said with a smile, as Chiaki still focused on the game. Chiaki looked as if she was ignoring him, but she was actually taking in every word he said. The girl was accustomed to multi tasking.

_“Yeah, I guess…..”_ She replied in an unenthusiastic voice

_“You_ **_guess_ ** _? What do you mean? It amazing. Your talent, I mean. That’s why you’re in the main course. I wish I had just a tenth of the talent you have”_ he said with a sad smile.  Chiaki seemed troubled. She didn’t like where this conversation was heading.  

_“I don’t think I ever told you this, Hajime, but going to this school wasn’t my idea. My parents are really the ones who helped to get me scouted and pushed me to come here. I would have been content just playing video games at home or with friends, to be honest.”_

A puzzled look crossed Hajime’s face. _“But youre the ultimate gamer. With a talent like yours, you’re bound to get lots of attention and recognition, no matter where you are.”_  
  
_“And that’s the problem isnt it? When I was a kid, I just played games because they were fun. Now, even when I’m alone, I always have this feeling, in the back of my mind. I feel like there’s a spotlight over me and I need to make sure I meet everyone’s expectations. I sometimes think about other people out there in the world who are working hard, right now as we speak, to beat my speed runs and high scores. And when I think about all that stuff, games start to feel less fun. It’s not something I ever wanted.”_  
  
Hajime watched her face as she said this. He couldn't help but detect a little sadness in her eyes. 

“ _I guess that makes sense. A hobby loses some of its fun if it starts to become your job, doesn’t it? Man, that actually does sound kinda bad. I'm sorry, Chiaki_.”

_“It’s not that, necessarily”_ Chiaki sighed, as she paused the game. _“Since I'm the ultimate gamer, I pretty much don’t have a choice in what I do in life. Neither do the other ultimates, really. Obviously, the common sense thing for me to do would be to use my talent and play games competitively. Or I could branch out into game design or something, but that’s still the same field. Do you see what I mean? Its like my path has already been chosen for me. Not that I’m complaining. I love games. But these thoughts do worry me sometimes.”_

Hajime took all this in. It really conflicted with his idealistic view of the ultimates. He imagined them all as confident, poised, forward thinking individuals with no question about their station in life. But maybe he was wrong. _“I guess even ultimates can have an identity crisis.”_

Chiaki nodded and smiled. _“Yes. We can. But this is one of the reasons I am jealous of you.”_

Hajime was startled by this confession. _“Wait, what? Jealous of me? That… makes no sense. I’m a nobody. I have no special talents or anything.”_ He insisted, raising his hands up in front of him in protest.  Chiaki scowled and her cheeks puffed angrily. 

_“You are_ **_not_ ** _a nobody, Hajime! The fact that you don’t have any talents isn't a bad thing. It just means that you can choose what kind of person you want to be. You are free to be anything you want. You’re like…. A wild card. Or an avatar in an RPG where you can choose to build up your character stats however you want.”_

Hajime looked at the ground, blushing slightly. This girl really had a way of lifting his spirits.  _“I guess I never really thought about it that way. But still….. At the end of the day, I’m just average. People with talents will always be the ones that everyone truly admire and look up to.”_ Chiaki got up and stood in front of Hajime, bending down. Her fists were clenched and pressed to her chest. 

_“Hey hey. you’re being an idiot right now, Hajime”_ she said innocently, with such a soft voice that it didn’t feel like an insult.

_“What do you mea-”_ he sputtered before being interrupted.  

_“There is more to life than being talented, Hajime. There’s friends, family, memories, and delicious fast food. And also the things you care about and want to protect. Talent doesn’t mean anything in the end, if you’re not happy.”_ She scolded, in her adorable way. Then, without warning, she went back to sitting down, resumed her game. Hajime was speechless. Since when did Chiaki offer such insightful advice? He always thought she was some kind of cute, quirky shut-in, but the girl had some real wisdom to offer.

_“Maybe you’re right,”_ he said, as he stood up, watching the sun set, painting the sky orange.  _“Thanks Chiaki. You’ve given me a lot to think about. I’m gonna head out. I’ll see you later.”_

Chiaki watched him leave, lazily waving to him as he walked away. As she looked back down at the game screen, a warm smile crossed her lips.


	3. Chapter 3

Hajime once again found himself in a boring class lecture, lazily staring out the window. He gazed longingly at the tower of the true Hope’s Peak academy. Throughout the day he daydreamed about how his life could have been different, if only he had been born with a talent. He imagined what his school life could be like, the friends he could have and the memories he could make. The more he thought about it, the more he was ensnared by feelings of inadequacy and despair.  The class entered a study period. Everyone else was writing notes and reading their textbooks. Hajime remained fixated on the tower outside. His thought patterns were finally broken by a familiar shrill voice.

 _“Why do you always do that? Every day you stare out that window like you’re in a fucking prison or something.”_ Hajime looked up and saw the blonde girl standing over him, with crossed arms. 

 _“Its none of your business”_ Hajime flatly stated.

 _“Its pretty obvious why you stare at that building every day. You wanna get out of this dump. You’re totally absorbed in your delusional dreams. Its pretty friggin sad”, to be honest"_  She sneered down at him. 

 _“Oh, so you’re a mind reader now, huh?”_ Hajime grumbled, sarcastically. 

_“Hey, for what it’s worth, I get it. Me and you aren’t so different, ya know? We both aren’t satisfied with being average, like all these other plebs. And we both wanna get into the Hope’s Peak main course.”_

_“Don’t project yourself onto me. We aren’t anything alike”_ Hajime said, bluntly. Looking up at Natsumi. He had no anger in his eyes. Just apathy. His statement actually kind of stung Natsumi, though she didn’t show it. 

 _“Of course we’re different. Unlike you, I haven’t given up. I’m actually going to succeed in my goals. Like I said, I'm getting into Hope’s Peak. Period.”_ She affirmed, confidently 

_“And how exactly do you plan on doing that?”_

 Natsumi grinned in response to this. It was a sly, devious grin. Hajime felt a twinge of apprehension. Whatever Natsumi was planning, it couldn't be good.

 _“Oh, I’ve got a plan. Don’t you worry. Its pretty simple. We are the reserve course, remember? Meaning, if one of the students at Hope’s Peak drops out, one of us steps in to replace them. So, that is how I will get in.”_ Hajime’s blood chilled. What was she implying? How far was she willing to go? 

 _“I guess that sorta makes sense, but how do you know that any students will drop out?”_ He asked, slightly nervously.  
  
“ _Well, they might need a little ‘convincing.’ I can be very….. persuasive. And I even have a certain freckle faced bitch in mind, who would be the perfect candidate_ ”  Just as Natsumi said this, a tall girl with messy dark hair stomped over to her and glared at her with furious eyes.

 _“Natsumi, I should have known you would still be the same conniving bitch you were in middle school. What exactly are you planning to pull?!”_ she growled angrily, baring her teeth.  The room was dead silent as Natsumi smugly grinned at her.

 _“Ah, Sato. I thought I smelled something rank when I first got here. So, you're still butt buddies with that little ginger twat, are you? How adorable”_ she cooed, with venom in her voice. Hajime awkwardly looked back and forth between the two girls who were both standing beside his desk. He was right in the middle of no man’s land right now.

_“Uh, wait. Do you two know each other or something?”_

 Natsumi glibly shrugged _“She is just some bitch I knew in middle school. The fact that she is here too is just horrible luck on my part”_

 Sato ignored Hajime’s question and remained fixated on Natsumi.  _“If you are scheming anything that will hurt Mahiru, I swear I will make you pay. Stay away from her, or you’ll regret it”_ She said, with menace in her voice. 

 _“Oh? what’s that? Are you threatening me, you gangly haired carpet muncher?”_ Natsumi sneered through her teeth, as her smug smile began to crack, giving hints of the anger that boiled beneath it.

 Sato clenched her fist. _“It’s not a threat, it’s a promise, you skank! If you-”_ she snarled before she was interrupted by another, softer voice. A redheaded girl with short hair entered the room, nervously.

 _“Sato? What’s going on?”_ Mahiru asked, approaching her. Then her eyes met Natsumi’s and she felt a twinge of fear go through her spine. Natsumi smirked and locked eyes with her. 

 _“Ah, Mahiru. Long time no see. We used to have so much fun together in middle school. Maybe we should catch up on old times”_ she said, taking a step towards the redhead. Mahiru’s eyes dilated as the memories that flooded back to her were anything but “fun.” Natsumi routinely made fun of her, messed with her things, and generally bullied her around, all while laughably calling her a “friend.” It wasn’t until Sato came along and took Mahiru under her wing that things got better for her.

 Sato stepped between Mahiru and Natsumi, protectively. She glared at Natsumi with rage and contempt. Sparks were practically flying from her eyes. 

 _“You aren’t going anywhere near Mahiru and you aren’t going to drag her down to your level. That is not going to happen”_ She said menacingly, as Mahiru held onto Sato’s arm, gently. Natsumi chuckled arrogantly and cocked her head to the side, looking directly at Mahiru. She met Mahiru’s eyes with her piercing gaze. 

 _“Still hiding behind your little Onee-san. Can’t stand up for yourself or fight your own battles. And you are supposed to be some kind of ultimate? You’re still the same scared little brat I knew in middle school. How pathetic.”_ She said, with a mocking forced laugh

 Mahiru furrowed her brow with anger and let go of Sato’s arm.  _“And you are still the same insecure, jealous, hateful person you were back then too. You haven’t changed one bit, Natsumi”_ she responded, firmly. 

Natsumi scoffed and brushed the words off, like water running off a raincoat.  _“I don’t care what a simpering, ginger headed little puss-bag like you thinks about me.”_ She spat, as her tone darkened. _“But you still better watch your mouth if you know what’s good for you, got it?”_ She threatened

Sato stepped in closer to Natsumi.  _“No! Mahiru is 100% right. The only pathetic one here is_ **_you_** _. You need to face the reality that you will never get into the Main Course. They chose her, not you. Because there is nothing special about you. You have no talent. You’re just a nasty, loud mouthed_ **_loser_ ** _”_

Natsumi’s visage totally changed as Sato’s words dug into her gut. Her expression changed from a confident smirk to a perturbed wince. However, that quickly morphed to pure, unmitigated anger. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were watery. 

 _“W-what the_ **_fuck_ ** _did you just say?!”_ she yelled as she raised her fist to punch Sato, but before she could, Mahiru jumped in between them. Natsumi was surprised by this and didn’t throw her punch. 

 _“J-just stop it, guys! please!”_ She cried out.

Hajime also stood up. He couldn’t just stand by and watch this, at this point. Things were getting out of hand. He stood up and clasped Natsumi’s right arm, the one she was preparing to punch with. 

 _“That’s enough, Natsumi. Just let it go.”_ he advised her, desperately. Natsumi looked at him, quivering with anger, and her eyes misty. She didn’t say anything. She just tugged her arm away from him and brought it down to her side. 

Meanwhile, Mahiru took Sato’s hand and tugged her out of the room, quickly, before any more fighting could take place. The class was speechless and Natsumi just stood there, seething in anger and clenching her fists so hard, her knuckles were white. 

 _“Why did you stop me? I thought you’re supposed to be on my side.”_ She muttered through her teeth

 _“I have_ **_no_ ** _idea why you would think that.”_ He said with an exasperated sigh, closing his eyes. This girl was even more of a handful than he first imagined. “ _You really shouldn’t go around starting fights, Natsumi”_

 _“Fuck you. I’ll do whatever the fuck I want.”_ she grumbled, reaching up to rub her eyes. She hastily grabbed her things, and stomped out of the classroom. It was still the middle of the day, but she ended up not coming back for the last two classes. She needed to blow off some steam. Hajime prayed this would be the last he would hear of this conflict, but he didn’t expect that prayer to be answered any time soon. 

\------------

 The next few days passed slowly. Natsumi barely talked to Hajime. She seemed frustrated, and unhappy. Hajime noticed slight bags under her eyes, possibly indicating a lack of proper sleep. She still ate lunch with him, as it had somehow become a routine for both them. Neither of them had anyone else to eat with, after all. However, she scarcely said a word. She didn’t even ask him to get her food for him. At this point, Hajime had no idea how to characterize their relationship. It certainly wasn’t romantic and they weren’t friends. They could be considered acquaintances or maybe “people who go to school with other people they hate.” That sounded about right. Hajime was keeping an eye on her, just in case she did something stupid or dangerous. Somehow she had become his responsibility.

 Three days after the initial incident, Hajime held out hope that the drama had passed. It was his turn to clean the classroom that afternoon, so he had to stay a little late. After finishing up, he made his way towards the exit, but along the way he saw two girls having a conversation in the hall, by the stairs. _“Ah shit”_ Hajime said to himself, Sato and Natsumi were already in the midst of a heated argument. Sparks were flying, both girls looked like they were on the verge of throwing fists. 

 _“I told you to stay away from Mahiru! When are you going to get it through your head that scumbags like you have no place in Hope’s Peak”_ Sato yelled, with her face a mere foot away from Natsumi’s.

 Natsumi had her arms crossed and she glared daggers at Sato.   _“I’ll do as I please. And if you know what is good for you and your little girlfriend, you'll stay out of my way. It would be a shame if things got messy”_ She threatened.

 _“You don’t seem to get it Natsumi. You will never get your way. Period. Mahiru will always be better than you. You’re nothing!”_ she snarled at the blonde girl, who was beginning to lose her composure.

 _“Oh please. You’ve just been up Mahiru’s ass since middle school. You’re a love-stricken, sycophant bitch. I almost want to crush your precious Mahiru just to see the look on your face. For example,  It would be a shame if something were to happen to those hands of hers.”_ Natsumi mocked, smashing her fist on her palm to show a crushing motion.

  _“If you even touch Mahiru, I swear, I will personally end you, Natsumi.”_ Sato said with severe conviction. Natsumi was taken aback by this threat, but she tried to play it off with a wry smile.

 _“Oh yeah, I’m shaking in my boots. Real intimidating, seaweed hair. Now run along and pick Mahiru’s pubes out of your teeth, you nasty dy-”_ ***smack***

 Natsumi was interrupted as a sound echoed through the halls. Natsumi had a red mark on her cheek and her eyes were wide with shock. Sato had just open-hand smacked her in the face. Natsumi reached up to place her hand on her cheek and her expression changed from shock to menace.

 _“You just made the worst mistake of your life. You just signed your fucking death warrant” s_ he seethed, glaring up at Sato.

Hajime cursed himself that he wasn’t quick enough to grab Sato’s arm. A few dozen straggler students had seen the encounter and the slap. They were already mumbling to each other. Hajime grabbed Natsumi’s arm and tugged her away away. He brought her to the balcony on the next floor above them. Once they reached it, Natsumi jerked her wrist away from him.

 _“Holy shit! You can let go of my arm now! Who the hell do you think you are?”_ She lashed out at him, with angst.

 _“Listen to me Natsumi. You need to stop this. This is going too far. You can’t just threaten other people like this”_ Hajime said, in a serious, concerned tone.

 _“Shut up! You aren’t the boss of me! I’ll do what I want.”_ she groaned, petulantly

 _“No one from Hope’s peak is going to scout you. If they find out about what you’ve been doing, you'll get expelled entirely”_ he scolded, almost yelling.  
  
_“Shut up about it already! You think I don’t know that?! I know that! I know that, alright?!”_ she yelled, as tears began welling in her eyes and rolling down her cheeks. She quickly reached up to wipe them away, out of embarrassment. She turned away from him and leaned on the railing, looking out at the afternoon sun, as it dipped lower and lower. Hajime stood there for a few moments, as Natsumi tried to collect herself and hold back her tears. She rested her head on her arms, sulking.  _“_

 _Why do you even want to get into the main course? Why are you so obsessed with it? I don’t get it. Why is this so important to you?”_ Hajime asked, as the girl stared off, pouting. Natsumi took a while to answer. She inhaled through her nose, sniffling a bit.

 _“My big brother is the ultimate gangster. He carries the family name on his shoulders. Everyone has put all their hopes into him. He’s just…. amazing. That is why I need to be the ultimate little sister. I want to be by his side. I want him to be proud of me.”_ She said, in an earnest tone of voice that Hajime had not heard from her before. He had never heard her talk about another person with such admiration.

 _“Ok. I understand that….. But it's not like you need a talent in order to be a good sister.”_ Hajime suggested, to Natsumi’s shock. She looked at him like he just told her that he discovered a pudding mine on the surface of mars.

 _“Are you stupid? An awesome brother deserves an equally awesome sister! Nothing less. If I can’t live up to that, than I don't deserve to be his sister in the first place.”_ She insisted angrily, tears once again showing in her eyes

Hajime started to feel like he was arguing with a brick wall. He clenched his fists and raised his voice. _“You know, maybe there’s more to life than having talent! Did you ever think about that!? Have you even asked your brother what he thinks? Do you really think his love for you hinges on whether or not you can impress him with some stupid talent? Is that the only reason why_ **_you_ ** _love_ **_him_ ** _?  If not, then why would it be the other way around?”_

Natsumi looked at him wide-eyed. She had never seen him so passionate about something. Hajime himself couldn’t remember the last time he was invested this amount of emotion into something. Perhaps it was because he wasn’t just arguing with Natsumi in particular. He was arguing with someone else. He didn't even realize that he had placed his hands on her shoulders as he yelled at her.  _“W-what are you trying to do to me……”_ She mumbled, staring down at the floor.

Hajime realized that he was holding her shoulders, in a rather domineering manner, so he let go. He calmed himself down and straightened his coat awkwardly. Natsumi didn’t seem bothered by the physical contact. His words had rattled her far more. She clutched her left arm nervously. 

 _“You’re telling me just give up??…. Are…. are you just saying that to try to drag me down to your level…. just because_ **_you’ve_ ** _already thrown in the towel? “_ she asked, in a much softer tone of voice than Hajime was accustomed to.

Hajime scratched his head and pondered, grasping for the right words. _“No, that’s not it…… Look, someone I trust told me that there is more to life than talent. And that got me thinking. Maybe they’re right. What if we’re going about this all wrong. Maybe we should rethink some things.“_ Natsumi was speechless. She stood there, unable to make eye contact with Hajime. They just stood there for what seemed like hours, until Natsumi spoke up. 

_“I… don't know..... I don’t even fucking know anymore.... What should I do?”_ She asked

 _“Well, for starters, you need to stop this fighting with Sato and Mahiru. I think you should try to bury the hatchet with them, even if they still don’t like you afterwards.”_  
  
Natsumi was taken aback.  _“What?! Are you seriously asking me to apologize to them? Fuck that. That ain’t happening. No way….. But…. I won’t fight with them anymore. Sato can scissor that ginger skank silly, for all I care. I don’t give a shit anymore. That whole plan was never gonna work anyway.”_  
  
Hajime sighed with relief. That was a start. That was **something** , at least. Hajime felt like he had shed a great burden during their conversation. It wasn't just because of the Sato drama coming to a close. It was something else.


	4. Chapter 4

The next day, Natsumi was suspiciously quiet. She said scarcely a word to Hajime in between classes. She seemed distracted, pre-occupied. Perhaps their previous conversation had impacted her more than he thought. Hajime noticed her glance down at her watch often throughout the day, which was odd. Did she have some kind of appointment? During lunch, Hajime confronted her about it. 

 _“What’s the deal with the watch?”_ He asked, flatout, while Natsumi was chowing down on rice. 

 _“Whatmph arnn younn t-lkinn mhbout?”_ She mumbled as she chewed her food  
  
_“Don’t talk with your mouth full. I’m talking about how you keep checking your watch every five minutes. Do you have some kind of appointment or something?”_ He interrogated. Natsumi gulped down her food and chugged her iced tea to wash it down, with sigh. 

 _“Its none of your business. It’s not like you’re my boyfriend or anything. So lay off”_ She snapped at him, before getting up out of her seat to toss her remaining food scraps in the garbage and heading back to class. Whatever it was, she wasn’t telling Hajime.

 ------------

 Once again, it was the end of the day. Natsumi left the classroom without a word to Hajime. He didn’t think much of it. It was just Natsumi being her usual weird self. Hajime shrugged it off and packed up his things. On his way out of the building, he noticed Sato carrying something into the building. In her right hand she held what looked like some kind of a musical instrument case. If he remembered correctly, Sato was a member of the photography club, but perhaps she had taken up a new hobby. Either way, it wasn’t his business and he wasn’t about to start up small talk with her.

When Hajime exited the building, he noticed a redheaded girl waiting by the school’s gate. He hadn’t exchanged words with her before, but they were still somewhat acquainted. When she saw him approaching she looked away, pretending she hadn’t seen him, hoping he would just pass by. Hajime stopped in his tracks. For some reason, something told him it was a good idea to talk to this girl. Maybe he could patch things up, since Natsumi was too stubborn to do it herself. It was worth a shot.

  _Hey. Its Mahiru, isn’t it? My name’s Hajime Hinata,”_ he said, introducing himself as politely as possible. Mahiru glanced up at him and didn’t say anything for a few long moments.

 _“You’re that boy from before.... Natsumi’s boyfriend or whatever”_ she muttered, with a subtle hint of disdain. She looked at him skeptically.

 _“Woah, ,I’m definitely n-not her boyfriend! Trust me on that.”_ Hajime stammered, blushing awkwardly. _“We are more like friends. Or… that’s not it…. more like…. Uh, just classmates.”_

 _“Oh, I see. I guess you can’t stand her either then? I don’t see how anyone could”_ Mahiru sighed, with a sad smile on her face, as if reminiscing about painful memories.

 _“I’m not sure if I would go that far. She is a handful, but I don’t think she’s as bad as you might think. She really tries to make herself look a lot more dangerous and tough than she actually is. In fact, I’ve gotten her to cool it with this drama she’s been stirring with you and your friend.”_ Mahiru perked up a bit and her eyes widened. 

_“Wait. You’ve actually gotten her to listen to you? I don’t think you realize how big of a deal that is. Are you_ **_sure_ ** _there isn’t anything going on between you two?”_

 _“No!.... I mean, yes!... Look, I just told her that acting this way isn’t gonna get her anywhere and she needs to cut it out, otherwise she’s gonna get herself kicked out of school. Honestly, I think she listened to me. She is way too proud to apologize herself, but I don’t think she will be causing any more problems for you,”_ Hajime explained to a very shocked and perplexed Mahiru.

 _“Geez… if that’s the case, it’s about time someone talked some sense into her… umm… thanks for doing that. This has really been weighing on me. Oh, and Sato too. In fact, you should really tell her what you told me. She is really stressing out over it and I’m really worried about her.”_  
  
Then Hajime remembered. _“Oh yeah. I just saw her. She should still be in building. We can go talk to her together. She was carrying her chello or whatever instrument it was. So I'm guessing she’s practicing right now, or something.”_ He deduced, while Mahiru just looked confused. 

 _“Uhh, Sato doesn’t play any instruments. At least not that I know of. She has never shown an interest in music. Are you sure you saw her with an instrument?”_ Mahiru puzzled.

Hajime froze for a moment. Time seemed to slow down

 **_(_ ** _Wait a minute_ **_)_ **

Hajime: _“Do you have some kind of appointment or something?”_  
Natsumi: _“It’s none of your business. It’s not like you’re my boyfriend or anything. So lay off”_

_(Could it be….)_

Natsumi: _“I almost want to crush your precious Mahiru just to see the look on your face. It would be a shame if something were to happen to those hands of hers.”_

_(No)_

Sato: _“If you even touch Mahiru, I swear, I will personally end you, Natsumi.”_

Hajime’s legs carried themselves. He turned from Mahiru and bolted inside as fast as he could. Mahiru was left standing speechless. _“Hey, wait! What the hell?! Where are you going?”_

Mahiru called after him, but Hajime didn’t take the time to explain it to her. The hairs on his neck were sticking up. All of his intuition was telling him that Natsumi was in serious danger.

\------------

Natsumi stood in the music room, with crossed arms. She tapped her foot impatiently. She felt jitters. For some reason, her hand wouldn’t stop shaking. She clenched it tightly to keep it still.

 _(Keep it together. You’re a fucking Kuzuryu, dammit. You shouldn’t be afraid of some thirsty lesbo nerd),_ she thought to herself. She had received Sato’s invitation and she wasn’t about to puss out now. The music room was a relatively basic one. There was a stage for rehearsals, a few tables, speakers and amplifiers that could be used freely by the students. The walls were decorated with musical notes, the kind of tacky decor one would expect to see. There was a fish tank at the far end of the room, next to the window which overlooked the wooded area behind the school. Natsumi almost jumped as the door to the music room slid open. She turned to see the seaweed haired girl herself, standing there, looking unkempt and disturbed, more so than usual. She closed the door behind her, surreptitiously locking it, without Natsumi seeing. Natsumi put on her typical haughty demeanor, placing her hands on her hips.

 _“I was wondering if you were even gonna show up. So, what's the deal, huh? I doubt you invited me here to talk. What are we gonna do? How are we gonna settle this? The old fashioned way? I’m not afraid to thrown down with mangy bitch like you. Just try not to cry when I beat you down”_ Natsumi gloated, cracking her knuckles.

Sato just stared at her vacantly. She had a cold, willful stare. She stood there, sizing Natsumi up.  _“I told you in the note. We are going to end this here… Right now… You will never,_ **_ever_ ** _threaten Mahiru again”_ She said, in a dry, almost monotone voice.

 _“What makes you think I still give a shit about that ginger cunt-rag that you drag around. You’re just paranoid. You should do the smart thing and just walk away now, before you really piss me off”_ Natsumi spat, with a smug grin on her face. Sato walked over to a table that had a large black, instrument case on it, which Natsumi didn’t even notice. It wasn’t exactly out of place, in a music room.

 _“You just love to run your mouth, don’t you Natsumi? Because you think you’re invincible. And you think your precious family name can protect you. But you’re dead fucking wrong about that,”_ Sato said with a disturbing chuckle as she opened the box. She pulled out something that was not an instrument, at least no a musical one. It was a metal baseball bat.

Natsumi’s heart dropped into her stomach as she saw it. She almost couldn’t comprehend it at first. Her facade of confidence dropped immediately. The fear could be seen in her eyes. She took a step back. 

_“Woah, wait, what the fuck?! What the hell are you doing with that? Are you crazy?”_ Her previous bravado was totally absent from her voice now.

 _“What happened to that cocky attitude of yours? You look scared, Natsumi. Are you just now getting a taste of what powerlessness feels like? It’s not so sweet is it”_ Sato cackled, taking a few steps towards Natsumi,  dragging the bat on the floor beside her with a loud metallic scraping noise. Sato was currently standing between Natsumi and the exit. Icy, paralyzing dread came over Natsumi.

 _“Stay the fuck away from me, you psycho!”_ Natsumi screamed as she backed up as far as she could. Her heart was thumping in her chest. ( _Shit, shit, shit,_ **_shit_ ** _! This bitch wants to kill me!),_ her mind raced. Sato quickly lunged at her and swung the bat. Natsumi ducked out of the way just in time to avoid it. The bat smashed into a large aquarium, spilling fish, rocks and water all over the floor. Natsumi scrambled to crawl away, though she ended up slipping around on the slick floor.

 _“_ **_Help!_ ** _Someone help me! She’s trying to kill me!”_ she screamed at the top of her lungs, as tears welled up in her eyes. Sato just laughed and looked down at Natsumi, resting the bat on her shoulder.  
  
_“Scream all you want, Natsumi. It won’t do you any good. This is the most soundproof room in the building. Top of the line. That way the music doesn’t disturb other classes. I picked this room for a reason. No one is going to come and rescue you, no matter how much you scream. None of your little yakuza flunkies can save you either.”_ she elaborated menacingly, as she stepped towards Natsumi. The sound of rocks crunched beneath her.

Natsumi  backed away, still on the floor, as Sato closed in on her, like a cat cornering its prey. _“Listen, Sato! I wasn’t serious! I was just messing around! I never planned to sick goons on you or Mahiru. I don't even have that kind of author-AIIEH!”_ she screamed as she rolled out of the way to avoid a deadly blow with the bat. Tears of terror flowed freely down Natsumi’s cheeks.

 _“Fucking shit, Sato! Please don’t do this! I don’t wanna die! We were friends, remember!”_ Natsumi cried out desperately, holding her hands in front of her face, in a vain attempt to protect herself from Sato. Sato was losing her composure as well. The girl was not a trained killer. This fight was taking long enough for the reality of her actions to begin setting in. Her adrenaline had gotten her this far, but she was starting to realize what exactly she had committed to. Her eyes were manic and frightened, but determined. There was no turning back now.

 _“Shut the fuck up, Natsumi! Don’t give me that crap! You were never a friend. You're just a vile evil, piece of shit. And I’m going to put a stop to you!”_ She screeched, but as she did, Natsumi grabbed a stool and threw it at her. In the moments it took Sato to guard from the incoming object, Natsumi was able to slip away and make a break for the door. She grabbed the handle frantically.

( _Fuck! Open open!),_ she screamed in her mind. Her thoughts were interrupted as Sato caught up to her and swung for her head. Somehow Natsumi instinctively ducked and caused the bat to shatter the glass window of the door.

The bat was temporarily stuck in the door’s window and Natsumi seized this opportunity to elbow Sato in the ribs, causing her to lose her grip on the bat. It fell to the floor with a clang and Natsumi kicked it away. Everything happened so fast, but to their adrenaline fueled minds, it was all in slow motion. Natsumi realized this was her one chance to save herself She leaned forward towards the broken window and took in a deep breath to give her loudest scream possible.

 _“_ **_Hel_ ** _-mmphh!”_ She attempted to call out, but as she did, Sato’s hand clamped over her mouth, muffling her voice. Sato was inwardly panicking. Her whole plan was falling apart. This was taking too long. In her blind fury she had just accidentally undone the entire point of picking this room in the first place. It was no longer sound proof.  She had to end this now. Her wrapped her other arm over Natsumi’s neck in a lock and she squeezed tightly, choking her.  
  
Natsumi’s eyes widened as the other girl constricted her windpipe and also began to cut off the bloodflow to her brain. Natsumi choked and attempted to gasp for air. She made desperate gurgling noises, her hands flailing around. She reached up to try to pull on Sato’s arm. Her face was beet red and her tears streamed down her cheeks as she was choked. Her struggles gradually weakened, however. The lack of blood flow made her head increasingly light and dizzy. She Soon went limp in Sato’s arms. Natsumi’s hands fell to her sides and she lost consciousness. Sato let go and natsumi collapsed to the floor, banging her head on the floor.  
  
Sato looked down at what she had done. She felt ill. An overwhelming sense of nausea had come over her. Had she really just killed another person? With her own bare hands, no less? No. It couldn’t be. She knelt down next to natsumi. The unconcious girl let out a sharp, raspy gasp in her sleep, followed by a few more ragged breaths, at irregular intervals. Sato could see her chest rise and fall with each breath. The girl was still alive, but she wouldn't be conscious for at least a few more minutes.  
  
_“There is no going back now”_ Sato told herself over and over. _“This is for Mahiru”_

She hobbled over to where the bat had been kicked. She was like a zombie. She felt detached from everything that was happening around her. She bent over and picked it up. She turned to look back at Natsumi, laying by the door. But then she saw something else. It was an arm reaching through the broken window. It had a rolled up white sleeve. The hand found the lock and flipped it. Then the door slid open. There Hajime stood, gasping for breath.

He had mere moments to take in the full situation. Natsumi was on the floor, bleeding from her head. The room was smashed up. Sato was holding a bat. At first he was hit was an unrelenting wave of dread and anguish, but he collected himself and dashed over to kneel by Natsumi, to see if she was still alive. He could tell relatively quickly that she was breathing. ( _Thank god) ,_ he thought. Then he heard a voice.

 _“Out of my way”_  
  
It was Sato’s voice. Hajime had never seen anyone with a face like her’s before. She was ghoulish, terrified, and completely unhinged. She walked up to him, holding the bat in both hands, trembling. _“Don’t get in my way! I have to do this!”_ She cried, as tears poured down her face.

Hajime placed himself between her and Natsumi, without thinking. Why he would put his life on the line for this bratty, abrasive, defective girl, was beyond him.  
_“No, you don’t! You don’t have to do this! This is wrong! Think about what you're doing”_

_“I have thought about it! I’ve known her way longer than you have! She is a scumbag who does nothing but hurt the people around her! What are you? You’re just her lapdog! You’re just defending her because she is probably f-fucking you or something! Get out of my way!”_

She screamed as she swung the bat at Hajime. She didn’t aim for his head, because she didn’t actually want to kill him. She hit him squarely in the ribs, breaking at least two of them. Hajime grunted and agony and clutched his side. Pain and adrenaline coursed through his body. He dropped to his knees, but he didn't move from his spot.

 _“You made me do that!”_ she cried out. _“Just move aside! I have to protect Mahiru!”_

 _“Nggh…...J-just let me explain. Everything will be fine. Just hear me out”_ Hajime grunted, while clutching his bleeding side. He had to break through to this girl.

 _“Stop defending her, you fucking idiot!_ ” she cried out, raising the bat high above her head.  _“She has to die!!”_ she cried out as she swung the bat downward, towards Natsumi’s head. Hajime could tell what she was trying to do. She was trying to angle it to swing to his left, missing him entirely and hitting Natsumi. She was getting desperate, running out of time. Plus she was probably realizing that if she got caught now and expelled, she would no longer be able to protect Mahiru from this perceived threat. There really was nothing that Hajime could say to her at this point to call her off. Things had already gone too far. Hajime did the only thing he could. He lifted his left arm above his head. Shifted to place his arm in front of the bat.

The metal weapon came down on his arm, which absorbed most of the force. As it slammed into his forearm, it snapped his ulma on impact. The bat was redirected  and skewed to the right, missing Natsumi completely. However, Hajime’s left arm was now broken. Pain was just beginning to shoot through it. The pain was dizzying an intense. He didn't know if he would be able to remain conscious much longer. Sato pulled the bat up again, readying it.  
  
_“I.... I don’t want to hurt you. You’re just her… pawn… Please, just get out of my way,”_ she sobbed, as her eyes grown more puffy and inflamed.

Hajime didn't say anything. He could barely think straight. So he instinctively raised his right arm as well, prepared to sacrifice it as well. He winced in pain and looked up at her through blurred vision. She just stared down at him in disbelief. Why would he go through so much pain for this girl he barely knows. She hesitated and lowered her bat slowly and then a voice pierced the silence.  
  
_“Sato?”_ A gentle voice cooed. It was unmistakable. The redheaded girl stood in the doorway, looking terrified, at her friend. Sato stared at her in a moment of pure shock. Before Hajime could see what happened, Mahiru was embracing Sato, crying into her chest, while the clanging of the bat could be heard, dropping to the floor. Hajime let out a sigh of relief, and that was it for him. He couldn't maintain consciousness anymore. He collapsed on the floor next to Natsumi and his world faded to darkness.


	5. Chapter 5

Hajime drifted out of his dazed, deep slumber and slowly opened his eyes. He was staring into a bright light, beaming down into his eyes. When his eyes adjusted, however, he realized it was just a florescent ceiling light. As his vision cleared, he looked around the room. The walls were a pastel blue color and there were a few empty beds next to his. Hajime realized he was wearing a hospital gown. His left arm was in a cast. Gauze had been wrapped around his abdomen, with extra packing on his right side, where his ribs had been broken. He was in pretty bad shape, but he was alive.

He looked down to the foot of the bed. He turned to his left and realized there was someone standing over him. It made him jolt awake with shock, as he didn't recognize them. It was a short boy, roughly his age. He had very short hair and a nice suit. He had an unfriendly demeanor and he looked down at Hajime with something bordering on a scowl. 

 _“You're awake. Its about fuckin time. The name is Hajime Hinata, right?”_ The boy asked. Hajime nodded and rubbed his head. _“Yeah… I was out for a while wasn’t I? I can feel it…._ ”  _(Wait a minute)_

Hajime sat up straight in the bed, his eyes wide _“Where is Natsumi?! Is she alright!? What happened after I got knocked out?!”_ Hajime blurted out. He had around a dozen questions to ask.

 _“Cool your jets, holy shit. Natsumi is fine. She only had minor injuries. You’re the one who got your ass kicked”_ He stated, bluntly.  Hajime sighed in relief. ( _Thank god_ _)_ . He never thought he would be so relieved to hear that Natsumi was safe. That nightmare was over. 

 _“Well, I’m glad to hear that…... So, who are you exactly?”_ He asked, still puzzled why this random guy was in his room with him, and had possibly been watching him while he slept.

 _“If you would just shut the fuck up for 2 seconds, I could explain everything to you. Now just zip it and listen to me.”_ The boy said in an irritated tone of voice. Judging by his attitude, Hajime was beginning to guess who he was. The boy cleared his throat and straightened his suit.  _“I’m Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu, Natsumi’s older brother. I go to hope’s peak academy. Natsumi told me you‘re a friend of hers, so I’m sure she’s mentioned me at some point. So I probably don’t need to go into detail.”_

Hajime suddenly remembered looking at Fuyuhiko’s profile at some point. Being the Hope’s Peak fanboy that he was, Hajime was at least familiar with all the ultimates attending the academy. But for some reason he didn’t put two and two together. Fuyuhiko, the ultimate gangster. So, this was the "big bro" that Natsumi was obsessed over. He was a bit….. shorter than Hajime expected. But he had a slightly intimidating presence to him. Or at least a hostile and abrasive one.

Fuyuhiko continued, taking on a professional sounding tone. _“As a representative of the Kuzuryu family and as Natsumi’s brother, I would like to formally thank you for protecting my sister’s life. As such, the family owes you a debt or service, to repay your actions.”_ The way Fuyuhiko said it, it felt a little rehearsed, as if this statement was taken from some kind of official business template, recited for cases like this. _“The debt or service must be within rational and respectful limits. In other words, if you ask for something crazy like my sister’s hand in marriage, I’ll have to break your other arm, got it?”_ He said, holding up a clenched fist, threateningly.

 _“I don’t think you have to worry about that. I'm good.”_ Hajime said, almost laughing out loud at the prospect. He pondered for a moment, what kind of thing he could ask for. Money, perhaps? Though, that would cheapen his act of heroism. He then remembered something.  _“What about that girl, Sato. What’s going to happen to her?”_ He asked, feeling un-ease in his stomach. Fuyuhiko quizzically raised an eyebrow.

 _“What? You mean the girl that snapped your arm? What does that have to do with anything?”_ He asked, wondering if Hajime was implying he wanted extra personal revenge against her or something.

 _“I just need to know. Please.”_ Hajime asked, looking into Fuyuhiko’s eyes intensely. Fuyuhiko sighed and paced his way down to the foot of the bed and back, thinking for a moment.

_“Look, that girl committed a serious crime against my family. She tried to fucking murder the daughter of the Oyabun. Do you realize the gravity of that? Right now she has been expelled from the academy and put under police custody. She is being transported to a high security, mental health facility. After she is released from there, who knows. But I can say that she is going to face real repercussions. Not just her, but probably her family too. They’ll probably be forced to pay up. You know, reparations and whatnot. And that means going into serious debt.”_

Hajime knew what going into debt would mean for a girl like Sato. The kind of life it would lead her to was not pleasant. He could imagine the kind of things a girl like her might be forced to do in order to repay her debts. Sato made some very poor decisions, but there was no way she deserved a fate like that.

 _“Look, Fuyuhiko. I’m going to make my request, ok? It’s gonna sound strange to you, but I want you to hear me out.”_ Hajime said with determination in his voice. Fuyuhiko’s eyes widened. 

_“Wait…. Holy shit.... Please tell me you're not gonna to say what I think, you are.”_ he groaned.

_“That Sato girl has gone through enough. She is already going to have an expulsion on her record and a criminal history. She has mental issues that she needs to have checked out. At this point, she’s no longer a threat to your family. She isn’t going to be a problem again. This was an isolated incident. Can we just let this go?”_

Fuyuhiko was a little bit flabbergasted. _“Are you fucking shitting me? Did she damage your head or something? You’re protecting the girl who almost killed you and tried to kill my sister? What..... the….  fuck?! You’re gonna waste your request for that?”_ Hajime didn’t back down an inch. 

_“Look, to be totally honest, Natsumi did a lot to instigate this whole problem.”_ ( _that’s an understatement_ )  _“This is just a really messed up situation that never should have happened. But in the end, everything turned out fine, right? I don’t think Sato deserves any more torment. So, please. Can you do this for me or not?”_ he asked, his gaze locked with Fuyuhiko’s. Fuyuhiko sighed and turned away, putting his hands in his pockets.

 _“You’re a weird guy, Hinata. I can see how you are able to put up with my sister. You might just be the ultimate fucking pushover. I have never heard of anything like this happening before, but I will see what I can do. They are probably still gonna insist on keeping an eye on the Sato girl for a little while. You know, just to make sure she doesn’t try anything crazy or come after Natsumi again. but I will try to make sure no harm comes to her. And that is a fucking_ **_promise_ ** _. We take those seriously in my family, you know.”_

Hajime breathed a sigh of relief and smiled for the first time in a while. That was a burden off his chest, for sure. _“Thanks, Fuyuhiko”_ he said, earnestly.  Fuyuhiko scratched the back of his head and looked up at the ceiling. 

_“Yeah yeah, whatever. It’s your shitty request…. Oh, before I go, here. Take this. I havent opened it yet. Its for your eyes only.”_ he said, tossing Hajime a letter.

As Fuyuhiko sauntered off, Hajime began tearing open the letter. He opened it up and it was surprisingly, handwritten. He expected it to just be some kind of generic, typed thank you letter, maybe a giftcard to McRonalds. But this was written in ink, with very good calligraphy, no less. It read as follows  
  
**_To the young man, Hajime Hinata_**

**_Allow me to be the first to say that your great deed and service to our family will not be soon forgotten. Without your heroism, Natsumi, the light of my world, could very well have been lost forever. Your quick actions and self sacrifice saved her life. Words cannot express my gratitude. It is my belief that fate has brought you into my daughter’s life for a reason._ **

**_And so I make this proposition to you. Rather, a humble request. As you are already well acquainted with my daughter and have proven your loyalty to her, I ask that you continue to watch over her, during her time at the academy. I ask you to do this not only as her friend, but a professional associate to the Kuzuryu family. I have even taken the liberty to provide you with a personal trainer, to build you into a more ideal protector and confidant, if you should agree to this undertaking._ **

**_If you should take up this offer, you would be allotted a generous monthly salary, for your services. This offer does not permanently bind you to our family nor does it require any sort of lifetime or long term commitment on your part. Rest assured, such an agreement would be purely transactional, would only be withstanding during your time at hope’s peak, and would not commit you to becoming a full fledged member of the Kuzuryu clan. However, the door to our family will be open to you, in the future, if you should take it. Regardless of what you choose, you will forever been seen as a friend to our chivalrous organization, for what you have done today._ **

**_In closing, I would like to extend an invitation for you to accompany my children on their summer retreat in Osaka this year and to attend our annual winter festival in Sendai, as a VIP.  It is my hope that we may soon meet, face to face._ **

**_With great regards_ **

**_Oyabun Matsushige Kuzuryu_ **

Hajime could barely believe what he had just read. His hands were shaking and he dropped the letter in his lap. This letter was from **the** Oyabun. The leader of the nation’s largest Yakuza family. He had personally recognized Hajime and taken the time to write him this letter. It was a lot to take in. Should he be terrified or honored? What had Hajime gotten himself into? His association with Natsumi had opened up new possibilities, but they were utterly terrifying. He put his hand to his mouth and seriously grappled with the information he had just been given. His thoughts were interrupted as the door to his room slowly opened. He stuffed the letter under his blanket.

Natsumi walked into the room. She looked different than usual. She was a total mess. She had a bandage wrapped around her head, from when she had banged it on the floor. Her left pinky and ring fingers were wrapped in white cloth, presumably from spraining them in the fight. Other than that, she seemed to not have any serious injuries. However, her eyes were puffy and red. It was clear she had been crying a lot. She walked over to Hajime. She looked down at him, sniffling a bit putting on a determined face, stiffening her bottom lip.  _“Well, go ahead…. Lay into me. Tell me what a fucking idiot I am.”_ She managed to get out, holding back her tears of impotence and shame.

 _“Well, actually I was just going to ask if you were alright, but-”_ Hajime was interrupted by a sobbing yell from Natsumi.

 _“Shut up! Just shut up!”_ she screamed, as the tears began to streak down her cheeks. “ _Why…… why are you still acting so nice?.... What the fuck is wrong with you?”_ She asked, in an almost whimpering voice, covering her face with her hands, to hide her crying.  _“Im…. I'm just a fuck up! That's all I am! This entire thing is all my fault! I mean, look at you! She could have killed you and this had nothing to do with you!”_

Hajime closed his eyes and then smiled a bit. _“Yeah, I can’t really argue with that. This is pretty much all your fault. This all happened because you kept running your mouth and threatening people. You kept on escalating the situation and almost got both of us killed,”_ he said, cheerfully.  Natsumi’s face was flushed. hot tears blurred her vision and flowed down her cheeks. His words felt like a stab to the gut. She didn’t expect him to be so blunt about it. It hurt but she needed to hear it. Hajime wasn’t going to pull any punches. 

 _“I know that. I get it….. So, you hate my guts now, right? You don’t have to talk to me anymore….”_  
  
_“I never said that, Natsumi. That’s not what I want. Yeah, you messed up big time. You made a mistake, and you’re gonna have to live with that. But that doesn’t mean that you deserved to die. Or that you’re an evil person. You can still learn from this.”_

Natsumi stood there for a moment and suddenly ran up to him and wrapped her arms around his torso. She buried her face in his chest and sobbed. This was a side of her that he never expected to see. He couldn’t imagine exactly what was going through this girl’s mind and why she was crying. Hell, Natsumi couldn’t pinpoint one singular reason. All of her bottled up emotions came pouring out in that moment.

Hajime embraced her for ten long minutes, until her cries died down. Then he muttered quietly.  _“Uh, try not to get too much snot on me”_

Natsumi looked up at him, with a grumpy look on her face.  _“You ass,”_ she muttered, wiping her nose with her sleeve. Hajime felt a strange sensation in his chest. It was the same sensation he got when he was around Chiaki. This was the first time he felt that way around Natsumi. Natsumi sat down in a chair and leaned her torso on the bed, beside hajime. Her head rested on her crossed arms, as she leaned on the bed. She sulked the same way she did on the balcony at school.

_“My brother….. chewed me out pretty bad. I don't think I've ever seen him so mad.”_

Well, that explained why she was such a wreck when she entered Hajime’s room. He had never seen her this dejected and meek. It was as if every ounce of her smug, self absurdness had just been crushed, leaving her as a broken shell of her former self. 

 _“I think that's just because he doesn’t want to see you get hurt. For him to get worked up like that, he obviously cares about you”_ Hajime tried to reassure the girl.

 _“Yeah, I know that but…. that’s not the problem. I want him to actually respect me and be proud of me. I want him to see me as someone he can depend on, not some useless kid sister that can't even survive on her own. I'm fucking pathetic. I don’t deserve to be his sister.”_ She seethed through her teeth, clutching the bed sheets tightly. Hajime placed his hand on Natsumi’s shoulder  tightly and looked into her eyes. 

 _“No, thats wrong. Stop beating yourself up, already. I’m sick of hearing this bullshit from you. You’re being an idiot.”_ He blurted out, harshly, looking down at her.

 _“W-what? What are you talking about?”_ She responded, bewildered and shocked.

 _“Stop saying stuff like “I don’t deserve to be his sister” or ”I need to prove I’m worthy to be his sister.” What does that even mean? You_ **_are_ ** _his sister. End of story. And whether you’re a badass or not, it doesn’t matter. Neither does having a talent. None of that ever mattered.”_ Natsumi looked down in shame, her mind swimming with conflicting emotions. Doubt dominated her consciousness. She felt totally lost.  _“_

 _So… what am I supposed to do then? What are trying to say?”_ she asked, meekly.

 _“You don’t need to be the world’s ultimate little sister. You just have to be Fuyuhiko’s sister. You just have to be Natsumi. That is all he wants. That’s it. You don’t have to be anything other than that.”_ Hajime cut through Natsumi’s words like a razor blade. The girl sat there, speechless, as his words settled within her. She felt like she had just shed a heavy burden off of her back. She just stared at Hajime, before getting up and wiping her eyes. She began to walk out of the room.

 _“I need some time to think…..”_ she said as she stopped at the door frame. She turned to him and made a smile. It was a weak smile, hidden within her sullen, exhausted visage, but it was a smile nonetheless. _“Thanks Hajime”_ She said before slipping out of the room.

\------------

Hajime needed to spend a few days in the hospital, since the doctors said they would need to observe the early stages of the healing, to ensure no permanent damage. They told Hajime that his left forearm would be slightly crooked when compared to the right, but the difference would not be that noticeable. He was lucky that Sato didn’t bash him in the head, or he might not even be in this world anymore. On the second day, he had a visitor. Natsumi walked into his room carrying a bento box. She brought it over to him and dropped it in his lap. She cleared her throat.

 _“Here. I thought you might be sick of the nasty pig slop they serve as hospital food, so I brought you this. I went through the trouble of making it, so you better not complain, otherwise I’ll punch you in the nuts”_ she said, grumpily. As Hajime opened it up.  _“Wait. You mean you made this from scratch, just for me? That's actually pretty sweet of-....”_ Hajime stopped mid sentence, because Natsumi’s face was turning red with embarrassment. 

 _“If you’re not gonna fucking eat it, then ill just give it to some hobo”_ She steamed, clenching her fist angrily.

 _“Fine fine. Geez…..”_ he said as he took out the chopsticks and began digging into the fried dumplings that Natsumi had cooked. Natsumi watched him with a slight nervousness on her face. He took a bite and paused for a moment. His eyes lit up with ecstasy.  _“This is… delicious! I had no idea you could cook! Great job!”_

Natsumi’s cheeks glowed red again, as she looked away. _“Whatever…..”_

_(Wow. Natsumi was actually nice for once. And…. cute. Kind of like an actual girl)_

Hajime couldn’t help but smile smugly as he began devouring the lunch that Natsumi prepared for him. He didn't get to savor that moment long because soon the door slid open. A different girl stood in the doorway. He recognized that face anywhere. It was Chiaki. She had something in her hand. It was a green bento box, sort of like the one that Natsumi had brought. Natsumi turned to her, surprised and annoyed _._

 _“Uh, who the hell are you? I think you have the wrong room. We’re kinda busy, so please piss off”_ She grunted, rudely

Chiaki didn’t even respond to Natsumi. She walked right past her, completely ignoring her and approached Hajime’s bed side. _“How are you feeling, Hajime? I heard what happened. I couldn’t believe it at first, but I’m just glad you’re alright.”_ She said, in a concerned, motherly tone. Meanwhile Natsumi was standing there in shock, her mouth agape. She couldn't tell what just happened. 

_(She….. she totally ignored me…)_ she thought to herself, despiritedly.

 _“Its no big deal. The doctors say I should be healed in no time. It could have been a lot worse. So, don’t get too worried about me.”_ Hajime said with a smile. 

 _“I brought you something. Two things actually.”_ Chiaki said, handing him the bento box and a handheld game console she had in her pocket.  “ _I figured you would want something other than hospital food, so I brought this. Also, I thought you might get bored, so I brought you a game console to play”_ Hajime accepted the gifts with a smile. Man, this girl was the best. 

_“Thanks a lot, Chiaki. I don't think Ill be able to play it though, with my arm like this. It's kind of a problem.”_ he said with a pained grin. Chiaki shook her head. 

 _“Hey hey. Don't worry. I loaded it up with turn based RPGs. With these games, you really don't need two hands to play them. You can totally play these games with one hand. I've done it before myself, when i'm eating potato chips. Its really not that hard”_  
  
Meanwhile, there Natsumi stood, in the background. She was speechless. She raised her finger to tell Chiaki off, but no words would come out of her mouth. She was standing there awkwardly watching Chiaki and Hajime happily chat together. It was like she wasn’t even there. It was like she was a third wheel but she wasn’t even like the third wheel on a tricycle. Those two were a bike and she was just an old tire rotting in the gutter. What was this feeling building up in her chest? She was used to being angry, but not like this. This hurt. She felt a chill sweeping over her. She felt she had to say something, but she felt different than her usual boisterous self. She was feeling smaller, weaker. Finally She mustered the courage to speak up.

 _“Hey!”_ she yelled at the two of them. They stopped talking and looked over at her. Chiaki had a bored expression on her face and Hajime had a raised eyebrow. Natsumi stood there awkwardly for a moment, with a slight blush on her cheeks. 

 _“So, do you know this girl or something? What's the deal?”_ Natsumi demanded.

 _“Oh. This is Chiaki. She is a good friend of mine who I play games with from time to time”_ Hajime said, casually, with a grin. Natsumi’s blood went cold.

( _Play games?)_ What the hell did he mean by that?

 _“W-what? Y-you never mentioned her before! I didn't even think you had any friends!”_ Natsumi blathered, pointing her finger at Hajime, as if she caught him in a lie. Chiaki perked up as well, putting her finger on her chin, thinking to herself. 

 _“Hmm. Now that I think of it. I don't think you mentioned this girl to me either….”_ she muttered before leaning down, putting her face close to Hajime’s. Hajime backed away a bit and looked at her with apprehension. 

_“W-what is it?”_ he asked  
  
_“Hajime… are you…... what they call….. A player?”_ She asked, in a curious, but unemotional tone. Natsumi’s jaw dropped, words abandoning her entirely. Hajime nearly jumped out of his skin. 

_“What?! No! You’ve got it all wrong!”_ he yelled out. Chiaki leaned back, satisfied with his answer, apparently. 

_“Oh. I see. So you two are friends, right?”_ She asked. This time she didn’t ask Hajime. She asked Natsumi. Natsumi jolted up straight, taken off guard. 

 _“What? Yeah, of course. We are really close friends!”_ She stated, proudly, but then realized what she had just declared. Hajime spoke up. 

_“Wait…. We are?”_ he asked, puzzled. _“Shut up, you!”_ Natsumi yelled at him, jabbing her finger in his direction. Chiaki just smiled.

 _“Ok. I guess that all makes sense, then. Hajime isn’t really the type to juggle a bunch of girls,” s_ he said with a trusting, warm smile. And as she said that, the door opened again. A redheaded girl with short hair stood there, holding a boxed lunch. She looked around the room awkwardly. There was total silence. Chiaki didn’t say a word. Hajime didn’t say a word, Natsumi looked like she was about to faint.

Of course, Natsumi was the one to finally break the silence.

_“You gotta be shitting me!!"_

\------------

After a brief little whirlwind of social confusion and wild accusations, Hajime managed to calm all them down. Luckily he was able to convince Mahiru not to leave, which was her first instinct. He convinced the other girls to let him have some time to talk with Mahiru. Natsumi was avidly against it, as expected. She was totally fuming, but she eventually caved in and stomped out of the room. Chiaki left on more understanding terms. Finally it was just Hajime and Mahiru.

 _“I really didn’t expect you to show up here…. you know…. after everything that happened. I figured I would be the last person you would want to see”_ he said, a bit sullenly.

“ _Well, you were wrong. I’m not that kind of person. I’m not a coward, regardless of what…._ **_she_ ** _says.”_ she grumbled, crossing her arms and puffing her freckled cheeks a bit in frustration.  _“I actually came here to thank you.”_ She sighed

 _“Thank me? For what?”_ Hajime asked, with a look of surprise. 

 _“Are you stupid? You know what. For stopping Sato from…. You know….”_ she replied softly, turning a way. Hajime could see she was holding back from crying.

 _“I didn’t really do that much. I wasn’t much use except for batting practice”_ he tried to joke.

 _“Don’t shrug this off! I'm being serious, you jerk! If Sato had killed Natsumi, it would have been the end for her life too. It's just too horrible to think about. I still can’t believe she would do something that crazy…. I should have seen this coming! I should have done something!”_ She sobbed, clenching her fists against her forehead and squeezing her eyes shut. The tears were already streaking down her freckled cheeks. Hajime did his best to console her.

 _“Sato is going to have a lot of work ahead of her. This is definitely going to make her life more difficult from here on in, but it's not the end for her. She can still recover from this and she can still have a future. But she is going to need your help.”_ He said, placing his hand on Mahiru’s shoulder.

Mahiru wiped her reddening eyes and looked at him, sniffling a bit. 

_“But I don't even know if I can face her after all this…_ ” she choked out. _“You guys are really close, right? She really cares about you. I don’t see any reason…..”_ Hajime trailed off as he watched Mahiru place her palm on her forehead, closing her eyes, and taking in a few deep breaths. _“Look…. Things are a bit more complicated than that.”_ She said, in a calmer tone, as she was pulling herself together. Hajime scratched his head awkwardly.

 _“Yeah…. I… uh…. Think I might know what youre talking about.”_ He said, trying to be as delicate as possible. _“_

 _I'm not gay, alright? I'm just not. But It isn't like that for Sato",_ she admitted, glaring at Hajime with clear embarrassment showing. “ _Oh…..”_ Hajime responded, looking away, unsure of what to say. This **was** complicated. Mahiru took a deep breath began telling Hajime the whole story.

 _“I knew that Sato had feelings for me that are more than friendship. Of course I knew. And the truth is I……. I exploited that. I used her feelings for me to keep her around, all throughout middle school and even at Hope’s Peak. Before she came into my life, I was picked on and bullied by the other girls. They were so cruel and I was so weak. But Sato was strong and cool. She stood up for me, when no one else would. So of course I wanted her around. And It didn't take me long to realize that she wanted something more out of our relationship. But I just…. couldn’t see her in_ **_that_ ** _way. She respected me and never tried to force anything on me. She just stayed by my side all these years, when she could have been happier with someone else. I was just leading her on, for my own selfish reasons…. So, I take back what i said earlier. I_ **_am_ ** _a coward. The worst kind.”_

Mahiru's hand was running through her hair, her fingers gripping her skull, as she grit her teeth and once again was unable to hold back from crying. _“So, you tell me, Hajime. How am I supposed to face her now? How can I tell her the truth now?!”_ Mahuri sobbed, overcome with regret and self hatred. Hajime had never even imagined this kind of situation before. He did not have any kind of advice, off the top of his head, to offer in a case like this. He pondered for a moment and then let out a calm sigh.

_“There’s really only one option, isn’t there? You know what it is. You need to go to her and tell her the truth. It may be rough on you. You may feel like a terrible person for it, but you don’t have a choice. If you’re actually her friend, then you don’t have the right to just move along and let Sato spend the rest of her life full of doubt and regret. She deserves to know the truth. She deserves closure.”_

Mahiru blinked a few times and then wiped away her remaining tears. _“You… make it sound so obvious when you say it like that….”_ she mumbled, looking down, in shame. _“But if I tell her that, she is going to hate me forever. I wasted entire years of her life”_

“ _No! That’s wrong! You guys made great memories together. You guys have been best friends for years. There is no way that means nothing. I don’t think Sato would take those years back for anything in the world. She didn’t stick around just because she was attracted to you. If you tell her the truth, I know she will accept it.”_ Hajime said with strong conviction in his voice. Mahiru took in his words and then, finally, her mood lightened. She stood up. 

_“I guess I just needed a swift kick in the butt to clear my head…… You’re a great guy Hajime. I mean that. I really have no clue how you ended up with Natsumi.”_ she said with a wry smile.

 _“Hey! Who said I was “with” her? We are totally not an item. Seriously.”_ He insisted desperately, to which Mahiru just chuckled. She then leaned in towards Hajime, looking into his eyes with her beautiful green gems. 

 _"Oh? Is that so? Well then, I guess she won’t mind if I do this”_ she whispered. Leaning in to plant a kiss on Hajime’s left cheek. Hajime froze up and his face was flushed. Mahiru blushed slightly too and briskly moved to the doorway.

 _“See you around, Hinata”_ she called with a warm smile, giving a final wave as she left him there with the bento box she made him. Hajime was still a bit stunned from what happened. Then he looked down into his lap, where there were three bento boxes, two of them unopened.

( _What the hell am I gonna do with all these?!)_


	6. Chapter 6

After a few weeks, Hajime was released from the hospital. His injuries were recovering surprisingly fast and the doctors assured him there would be no long term damage, from his encounter. He finally returned to his dorm room. It was late in the evening and the sun was beginning to creep beneath the buildings in the distance, casting long shadows over the courtyard. He flicked on the light to his small living room. Compared to many colleges, the dorm rooms of the Hope’s Peak reserve course were actually quite spacious. They were single bedroom, single bathroom, and they had a small kitchen. Hajime had done very little to spruce up his dorm. He had a few video game posters in his bedroom, which Chiaki gave him, and a couch his parents let him take with him. Hajime had all the bare basics. He did not lead an extravagant lifestyle. He walked straight to his bedroom and took a seat on his queen sized bed. He checked his phone and saw that Natsumi had blown up his inbox with about a dozen texts.  

( _I knew I shouldn't have given her my number)_  
  
He swiped through them. The tone of the messages started off cheerful, but quickly became more and more “Natsumi” as they progressed. Natsumi’s messages read as follows

 **“Heya. How r u doing? >.>”** \- 11:43 AM

 **“What did doctors say? Will u be back at school?”** \- 12:20PM

 **“Did ginger bitch come back? Whts her deal? Trying to get on ur nuts? LMFAO what a slut XD”** \- 1:37 PM

 **“I just got this cool keychain. Ill show u when you get back”** \- 3:50 PM

 **“Uhhh y arent u texting bck??? (~_~;)”**  - 4:01 PM

 **“Whats ur problem??? >:[“** \- 4:25 PM

 **“Seriously, ur the one that gave me ur number” -** 4:55 PM

 **“Ok fine. Be that way u prick.” -** 5:11 PM

 **“ >:[“ **\- 5:51 PM

 **“ >:[ >:[ >:[ >:[ >:[“** \- 5:55 PM

 **“Are you pissed at me or something?”** \- 6:03 PM

Hajime sighed and put his palm to his face.

_(Crap. She’s been texting me all day and I didn’t even notice. I guess I better respond…..)_

He opened up the reply tab and quickly typed a message for Natsumi. It read

**“The doctors released me. They said I should fully recover by the end of the month. I will be going back to school tomorrow”**

He typed it out and then hit the send button. He glanced at his clock and decided it would probably be a good time to take a bath. But his thoughts were interrupted as his phone vibrated in his hand, making him jump. ( _She texted back already?)_ he flipped it open.

 **“Geez. Ive been trying to text u all day! Do u know how frustrating that is??”** She responded, angrily. Hajime texted his own response.

**“Sorry. I had it on silent. I didn’t know you were so worried about me”**

Nothing. There was no response yet, as minutes ticked by. ( _That’s odd)._ The other time, she responded almost immediately. Five minutes later, his phone vibrated.

 **“I wasn’t worried. Just have a little common decency and respond when some1 messages u!”** She responded, scoldingly.

Hajime sighed and rolled his eyes a bit.  **“Fine I’ll work on that, if you stop using “u” and “ur” in your texts. Bad grammar isn't cute and it doesn’t even save much typing time. Anyway I gotta take a bath. See you later.”** He set the phone down and started getting undressed, when it vibrated noisily again.

 **“Ew, you didn’t need to tell me that detail. Dont** **try** **to put images in my head!”**  

Hajime chuckled

\------------

The next day, Hajime got up a little extra early, since he needed more time to get ready. With his arm in a cast, even some basic tasks were slower and more cumbersome, such as getting dressed or making the bed. He slung his backpack over his right shoulder and headed out the door. When he got to the reserve building, he saw Natsumi, waiting at the gate for him. That was not something she normally did. He approached her.

 _“Hey, Natsumi. Whats going on?”_ He asked, as other students shuffled past them. Many of them turned their heads to look at Natsumi and Hajime before muttering to each other and scurrying away. Natsumi had her arms crossed and she looked a little unsettled.

 _“I just wanted to warn you about something, before we go in…. The thing is, everyone’s been talking about us, since the incident. The are probably gonna treat you differently. Hell, they’ve been treating me differently. There are all kinds of rumors flying around about us and about what happened.”_ She explained, as it became more apparent that passersby were taking extra looks at the two of them. 

 _“Oh, I see. That could be a problem.”_ He grimaced, scratching the back of his head with his free hand. _“But I wouldn't worry too much about it. I mean, at the end of the day, I really don't care what they think or say about us. Do you?”_ he asked.

 _“Hell no, I don't! I don't give two shits about what any of these no-name NPCs think about me. I just wanted to give you fair warning. That's all.”_ She grumbled, turned away to walk inside.nWith all that in mind, the two of them entered the school together. As they walked through the halls, the pathway cleared for them. Students whispered things to each other. 

_“I heard he beat that Sato girl unconscious”_

_“No way, man. Just look at him. He totally got his ass kicked by a girl”_

“But that Sato girl was going to kill that Natsumi girl, right? The guy’s kinda like a school hero”

_“Uh, if you say so. Is it too late to get on team Sato?”_

_“I heard that those two are a_ **_thing_ ** _now”_

_“Really? I almost feel sorry for the guy”_

Natsumi grimaced angrily as all the rumor mongers conversed and whispered to each other. It was uncomfortable to say the least, but Hajime knew it would pass eventually. Right now, the only person who mattered to Hajime in this entire building was walking along side him.

\------------

**2 Weeks Later**

A month had passed since his fight with Sato. His arm and ribs were fully healed now. He felt refreshed to finally be free of those troublesome bandages. The arm bandage was especially troublesome because he used chopsticks with his left hand, primarily. He could finally enjoy a good night’s sleep without having to lay in awkward positions, to protect his injuries. The next morning, Hajime awoke with a jolt. There was a loud thumping noise. He waited a few moments and it started again. Someone was knocking on his door and knocking hard. He almost fell out of bed, catching himself on the dresser. He pulled himself up and looked at the clock.

_(5AM? What the hell?)_

He hastily slid into some shorts and walked up to answer the door. When he opened it, he was face to face with a tall girl with long grey hair in pigtails. She wore glasses and had wild red eyes that pierced the soul. She had an athletic body and was well endowed in the chest area, to say the least. She had her arms crossed, impatiently 

_“Hajime Hinata, I presume?”_ She asked. Hajime was admittedly a little unsettled by the idea of a girl knocking on his door at 5AM. What could she possibly want? But then, Hajime recognized her face. She was one of the ultimate students. Evidently, Hajime was much better at remember the female ultimates than the male ones. 

_“Uh, Yeah. And you must be…. Peko Pekoyama. The ultimate swordsman, right?”_

Peko nodded. _“Yes. That is correct. I am here to be your personal trainer”_ She said flatly and bluntly, as if Hajime should have already been expecting that. 

 _“Uh…. come again?”_ Hajime asked, blankly. It was pretty early in the morning. He had a hard time recollecting. Peko sighed in annoyance. 

 _“The letter you received mentioned that you would be provided with personal training in order to mould  you into a more physically fit protector for Lady Natsumi. Now hurry and get dressed, so we may begin. We don’t have all day.”_ She said, crossing her arms, glaring at him.

 _“Letter?.... Oh yeah! I remember now! The letter from the Oyabun!”_ He blurted out loudly.  Immediately after he did that, Peko’s hand pressed over his mouth. 

 _“Are you some kind of imbecile or something? Don’t speak so loudly and freely about our business…. Please”_ She asked politely, before letting go of his mouth. 

 _“Ok ok, sorry about that. I’ll be more careful…… but wait, I never actually agreed to anything. I never said that I would take him up on that offer.”_ Hajime stammered out. 

 _“Are you saying you would like to decline the Oyabun’s request?”_ Peko asked coldly, once again giving him that icy cold stare. It wasn't even something she did intentionally. It was just how her face naturally was.

_“No, I’m not saying that. I just....”_

_“Then hurry up and get dressed. You have already wasted 5 solid minutes of training time. I will have to wake you up 5 minutes earlier tomorrow.”_ She said, harshly. 

 _“Ok ok, just give me a second”_ he blurted before closing the door. And putting his hand on his mouth.

( _How the hell did i end up in this situation?)_

Hajime scrambled to throw on his gym shorts, a T-shirt, and a pair of gym shoes. He didn’t want to keep the girl waiting. He took a few deep breaths and then opened the door. She was standing there, eyeing him impatiently. 

_“Well. Are you ready to go?”_ She asked, turning away from him.

 _“Yeah. Lead the way”_ Hajime replied, tightening his fists, steeling himself. For some reason, he was feeling just a little bit pumped about this. He wasn’t quite sure why. He followed the silver haired girl to the school’s track. Like most schools, the track was rubbery and ideal for avoiding cartilage damage and unnecessary shin splints. It was still pretty dark outside.

 _“Today, I will be testing your physical fitness, to make an assessment of where you are at, in terms of strength and endurance. This will inform how your training regimen will be constructed. The first thing we will be doing is pushups. I want you to do as many as you can, without resting. If you attempt to cheat by not going low enough, then those pushups won't count. Your arms must come to a 90 degree angle.”_ She instructed as Hajime began to sweat, nervously.

 _(Crap),_ he thought to himself. _(I always kinda cheated with these in middle school)_

That wasn't going to be an option, if he had Peko looming over him the whole time. He got down on the ground, flat on his stomach. He looked up at the silver haired beauty standing over him, just before remembering the fact that she was wearing a skirt. From this angle, he had a full view of what was underneath. Peko just now realized that as well and she blushed furiously, taking a few steps away from him and reaching down to pull her skirt into the way to shield her panties.

 _“W-what are you looking at?”_ she asked, with in a flustered, stammering voice.

 _“Sorry, I-I just happened to look up! I didn’t see anything! I promise”_ Hajime pleaded with her. He was lying through his teeth, of course. He had seen something quite interesting. He surmised that thongs must just make it easier for to maneuver in combat. That had to be the reason she was wearing one, right? Peko pulled herself together and brushed herself off, making sure to stay a solid 10 feet away from Hajime as he did his exercise. 

_“It doesn’t matter. Let’s just get on with this, shall we?”_

_“R-right….”_ Hajime got into the upright pushup position and began his reps. He brought himself down so that his face was mere inches from the ground and pushed back up. This was a lot harder than he remembered. He knew he was in trouble, early on. He struggled to keep his back straight as he lowered his body down and then back up. By the time he got to 21, it was all he had. He gave up, collapsing on the ground. Peko sighed and wrote the number down in a small book. 

 _“I see. 21 pushup max. Upper body strength...mediocre at best”_ she muttered to herself as she wrote it down. 

_“Oh, come on. Did you really need to add that last part?”_ Hajime whined

 _“The next part of the test is sit-ups. You will be given 60 seconds to do as many as you can. You can have a partner hold your feet down while you perform the exercise…… oh, right. I suppose I am the only one here. Very well.”_ She said, kneeling down. Hajime had already flipped over onto his back, getting into position. Peko rested her knees on his shoes and held onto his ankles. She hovered over him looking down. A sudden rush of blood swam to Hajime’s face. This was a rather awkward position to be in. All alone with a girl, at night, in the middle of a field, with a her body pressed against him. Couldn’t think of many times he had been this close to a girl before. Peko’s face was also a bit flushed. 

_“Well, what are you waiting for? You may begin any time that you like”_ she said, softly.

Hajime snapped back to reality. He began his sit-ups. He knew these would be a lot easier for him than push-ups. He should be able get a decent score here. He curled his torso upward, but as he did, it brought his face disturbingly close to Peko’s she backed away and turned her head to the side, blushing. It was her fault for leaning forward and having her face in such a careless spot. Hajime did his best to continue. All this excitement actually helped him to push a lot harder than he normally would have. He ended up doing 30 sit-ups by the end.  
  
_“Hm. Better than your pushup score, but still needs work.”_ She said as she scribbled notes into her little black booklet. 

_“Uh…. Peko”_ Hajime asked, meekly. Peko realized she was still on top of him, even though he was long finished. 

_“Oh, of course. My apologies.”_ Peko muttered as she jumped up and brushed her legs off.  She then pulled out a stopwatch walked over to the edge of the track.

 _“Do any stretches or warm-ups that you feel are necessary. You will be doing a three kilometer run. Be sure to pace yourself accordingly.“_ She advised, holding the stopwatch in her hand. Hajime did a few stretches and already was feeling a bit apprehensive about this. He was not proficient in any sports and his body was not at all accustomed to running long distances. A two kilometer run, he could probably handle, but three was a little much. Hajime finished stretching and walked up to the starting line. 

_“I will count your laps for you and tell you what your time is, as you pass by. Remember to pace yourself. If you need to vomit, do so, off to the side of the track”._

Hajime’s stomach turned a bit, at the thought. He took a few deep breaths in and out, to calm himself and get his heart rate down. He knew that he would need to pace himself at a brisk jog, for this kind of distance. 

 _“Begin!”_ Peko yelled, swinging her arm down in a straight motion. Hajime took off running at a quick pace for the first 50 meters, fueled by the initial excitement of starting a race, but he caught himself quickly and corrected his pace to something much more sustainable. This wasn’t a race. He had to take his time, otherwise he would burn out quickly. Thankfully there were no other participants in this test, that would pressure him into a more exhaustive pace. He kept his cool and chugged along. This would be easier if he brought music or if he owned an MP3 player, to begin with. His mind wandered as he jogged. It was refreshing to feel the crisp morning air on his sweat-glistening skin, as he ran. Of course, that liberating feeling wore off quickly.

 _(This kinda sucks),_ he thought to himself. His body was rejecting this strenuous activity and his heart was pounding in his chest. He managed to finish his second kilometer, but after that he had to start walking, to catch his breath.  
  
Peko scolded him for it. _“What are you doing? You can’t start walking now. You have another Kilometer to run. Its only two more laps. You are going to ruin your score if you keep this up.”_ Hajime could barely hear her. His ears were ringing and all he could hear was the sound of his own heavy breathing. He was not prepared for this test, at all. He panted and clutched his side, as he began to cramp up. He had to finish this, even if it meant 5 more minutes of hell. He began to resume his jog, albeit at a slower pace. He finished a lap at this speed. He could taste blood in his mouth, his throat was dry, and he was light headed. In the last lap, he increased his pace, just trying to end it as quickly as possible and maybe salvage his time. He used the last of his energy as he stumbled over the finish line. He leaned over and placed his hands on his knees, gasping for air.

Peko clicked the stop watch and shook her head. _“19 minutes and 38 seconds…. This is unfortunate. I see we have a lot of work ahead of us.”_ she said looking down at him, with pity. Hajime dropped to his knees, as he gasped and panted, trying to catch his breath and ease the sharp pain in his chest. He felt nauseous and he clasped his hand over his mouth, trying to focus on not vomiting. He leaned over the grass and dry heaved a few times.

 _“It appears you need to hydrate more. The training you will be enduring is far more strenuous, and if you aren’t properly hydrated, you could seriously injure yourself.”_ She castigated, as she handed Hajime a bottle of water. He snatched it and greedily chugged it down. _“Hey! Don’t just gulp it down all at once. You’re going to make yourself sick and your body won’t properly absorb it all! Drink slowly. It is more beneficial.”_  
  
Hajime learned this the hard way, as his stomach turned and he once again felt nauseous. He covered his mouth and waited for the sickness to pass. He turned to look up at Peko with a weak smile.

 _“Thanks for the advice, Peko… You really know your stuff, don’t you?”_ he managed to get out, in between his ragged panting. Peko blushed slightly at the compliment and then closed her eyes, adjusting her glasses with her finger. 

 _“This is all simply physical fitness 101. You really should start taking the health of your body more seriously. Other people are going to be counting on you, especially Natsumi. You can’t afford to become weak, lazy or slovenly. Understand?”_ she said in a serious tone, crossing her arms. But then she smiled warmly. _“However, I could tell that you put 100% into today’s exercises. So, good work. You will need to maintain that focus, because training will be far more strenuous in the future. Is that understood?”_

Hajime gulped and looked up at her as she beamed down at him, giving off an aura of professionalism and wisdom. 

_“Y-yes mam”_ he replied as sweat dripped down his forehead. Peko was so much different from the other girls that Hajime had known. She was an ultimate after all. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what kind of life she had lived and how it differed from his. He had no clue how she became the strong, fearless, reliable person, that she was now. He wondered if he could ever approach that.

Peko put the stop watch away and pulled out her small booklet, which she began writing in. 

 _“I will save the results of your tests today and we will compare them to when we test again in two months. Now, you may return to your dorms to shower and proceed with your day. You are dismissed”_ she said as she turned to walk away. The sun was beginning to rise over the horizon. Hajime couldn’t help but feel that something in him was different than before. He couldn't pinpoint it. He closed his eyes for a moment and savored the gentle warmth of the morning sun.


	7. Chapter 7

Hajime expected to feel completely beat and worn out, after his exercises with Peko, but after showering and getting dressed for school, he felt surprisingly refreshed. He ate a big breakfast before setting out. He felt more alive and his mind was more clear. It had been awhile since he had been in such a good mood during his morning routine. He checked his phone as he walked. Natsumi had texted him already. He read it as he walked.

 **“Hey. Summer break starts next week. Im going to my familys summer home. My brother and peko will be going too. My dad said it would be fine if you came along too”** \- 7:48AM

Hajime stopped in his tracks to read it over again. He recalled something like this being mentioned in his letter from the Oyabun. The man seemed to really like the idea of Hajime spending time with his kids. He had no idea why he was so intent on this, but honestly the idea didn’t sound too bad. He would get to spend some time at the beach over summer break, if nothing else.

Hajime met up with Natsumi in class. She was sitting her butt on top of her desk, as she usually did. It was against school rules but at this point, the teacher had grown tired of reprimanding her for her delinquent manners. Hajime sat in his desk, with his legs to the side. He leaned back against the window, leisurely and rested his left arm on top of the desk. _“I got your text.”_ Hajime casually said to Natsumi, as everyone else chattered away, waiting for class to start.

 _“So, what’s your answer?”_ she asked, with a minuscule hint of nervousness in her voice. She would never tell Hajime, but the reason she asked him in text was because she felt too awkward asking him in real life, especially in earshot of the other students. 

 _“Well, I don’t have anything better to do. I think it sounds pretty cool. But I don’t know what to expect. What’s this place like?”_ He inquired. Natsumi smirked arrogantly. _“Oh, trust me. Its pretty friggin sweet. Its outside of Osaka, right on the coastline of the bay. It’s a seven bedroom house, with the latest TVs and game systems. We even have jetskis. And we have it all to ourselves.”_ she gloated proudly but then she blushed crimson and realized what she just said. 

_“Oh! I didn’t mean just to_ **_ourselves_ ** _, obviously. My brother and Peko will be there. So it’s not like it's just the two of us. You know what I mean”_ She blathered in a frustrated manner.

Hajime was a little overwhelmed by how luxurious this place sounded. He never forgot the fact that Natsumi was the child of the Oyabun, but he sometimes forgot how filthy rich that must make her. The Kuzuryu family’s businesses, both legal and underground, netted billions every year. Hajime had no idea how much of that equated to the personal wealth of the Oyabun, but it had to be in the tens of millions. Natsumi was like a princess or something.

 _“I don’t see how I could pass that up. That sounds incredible. I’ll definitely go”_ He assured her, enthusiastically. Natsumi looked away and a smile crossed her cheeks. It was an honest, relieved smile. Unlike her usual forced, smug, obnoxious grins, this was a real smile. Natsumi was genuinely happy. Seeing her smile like that sent shivers down Hajime’s spine. Underneath all of Natsumi’s bluster and arrogance, there was a real person in there.

\------------

The week slowly dragged by. Hajime found himself genuinely excited and pumped, for the first time in ages. He felt like a little kid, anticipating christmas. He imagined what the house might look like, how the water would feel. He even imagined what Peko and Natsumi might look like in their swimsuits. Would Peko wear a thong similar to the ones she wore every day? He snickered to himself pervertedly just thinking about it. He was a boy after all.  
  
Despite his newfound optimism, the week wasn’t a cakewalk. His training with Peko had just started to get underway. Hajime soon realized that “test days” were actually much easier than the normal training days. In order to improve his physical abilities, he would have to be pushed far beyond his limits, every single day. Peko pounded him with endless pushups, in various positions, from knuckle pushups to diamond push ups. On “ab days,” she put him through a gauntlet of varying ab exercises that left him wanting to puke. On running days, she had him alternate between bursts of sprinting and short walking breaks. Every day, the exercises beat him down. However, Peko assured him that training was always hardest in the beginning. Hajime would need to overcome his own weakness. It was easier said than done. Saturday couldn't come soon enough.

Finally, the day arrived. Hajime was ready to set out. Hajime had already packed his clothes and necessary items, like a toothbrush and comb. He grabbed his phone off the charger and headed outside. Natsumi was already waiting by the parking lot when Hajime caught up with her. She had several large bags beside her. 

 _“Well, today’s the day. Are you ready for this, Natsumi?”_ he asked.

 _“Obviously.”_ she replied, curtly. _“If I have to stay in this place for another minute, I feel like I’m gonna suffocate. I seriously need a break from all this. We both do”_

Hajime agreed with her. The atmosphere of this place felt much more oppressive, the past few weeks, with the entire gossipy student body hovering over their shoulders. Both of them also still had their own personal issues to grapple with. Some time away from Hope’s Peak would give them time to think. Just as Hajime was checking his watch, a large black car pulled up. It wasn’t a limo, but it was still very classy. The chauffeur stepped out of the car. 

_“May I help you with your bags, Madam Natsumi?”_ He offered, with a bow.  
  
Natsumi nodded and pointed at Hajime _“You can grab his stuff too. He’s coming with us.”_ The chauffeur approached Hajime and reached out to shake his hand, bowing as he did so. 

 _“I am sworn to serve any friend of the Kuzuryu family. And you are, good sir?”_  
  
_“Uh, Hajime Hinata. It’s a pleasure. And, you don't have to carry my stuff. Don't worry about it”_ He said, politely protesting the pampering treatment. The man raised his hand and smiled warmly. 

_“Please. It would be my pleasure, Master Hajime. Welcome to the Kuzuryu family.”_ Natsumi blushed at this. 

_“Woah! What do you mean “welcome to the family?” Me and him aren’t_ **_married_ ** _, for fuck’s sake!”_ she spouted, angrily. But she was interrupted by a voice in the car. 

 _“Natsumi. What are you waiting for? Let's get going!”_ It was her brother, Fuyuhiko. Natsumi’s expression changed from anger, to a subtle smile. 

_“Sure thing, big bro.”_ She responded, cheerfully. Hajime followed her and when he approached the car, he could see that the back seat of the car was divided into two rows of three seats. The two rows faced each other and had a surprising amount of legroom. It was basically like a limo, but not as absurdly long. It was suited for four to six people. Hajime climbed in as well. He sat next to Natsumi and across from them sat Peko and Fuyuhiko, respectively. Hajime couldn’t help but feel this looked like some kind of weird double date.

As Hajime sat there and looked at his traveling companions, he couldn’t help but feel a little out of place in this group. Fuyuhiko and Peko were both ultimates, each of them a bit larger than life, in their own way. Even though he knew both of them, it still was unsettling. Then there was Natsumi. She wasn’t an ultimate, but she still grew up with Fuyuhiko and seemed to know Peko pretty well too. So she was right at home, here. She was practically royalty. Hajime was the only one who was out of his element. He decided he needed to get a conversation going.

 _“So… uh, this is pretty exciting. Thanks for inviting me on this trip with you guys.”_ He said politely. Fuyuhiko just looked at him with mild annoyance and contempt. 

_“Hey, don’t thank me. I had nothing to do with it. You can thank my father for that. And Natsumi. She’s the one who-”_ He stopped mid sentence as he saw Natsumi giving him her famous “death glare,” that she had perfected since childhood.

Fuyuhiko cleared his throat. _“Anyway, we’re gonna head to the airport and fly down to Osaka. We should reach the house by lunch time”_ Hajime perked up as a thought crossed his mind.

 _“Wait, are we going on one of your family’s private jets?”_ he asked, excitedly. Fuyuhiko just scoffed. 

_“No, man. You shouldn't assume shit like that. We aren't that frivolous. I’ll have you know that our father_ **_doesn't_ ** _spoil us like douchebag rich kids. He says that private jets are a symbol of accomplishment and authority. They aren't toys for kids to play around with. They should be used for official business and once you've earned the right to use them.”_ Hajime was surprised to hear that sort of thing from the leader of a crime organization. Their father sounded like a disciplined man.

 _“Here. This is your ticket. Don’t lose it. If you do, you're shit out of luck”_ Fuyuhiko grumbled, handing it to Hajime. Hajime noticed that the ticket said “first class.” Apparently, by their standards, a first class commercial flight is considered “not spoiling” them.

\------------

The flight was an uneventful one. Once they took their seats, Natsumi almost immediately began napping through the flight. Her head shifted to the side and she ended up resting it on Hajime’s shoulder. Hajime was relatively ok with it, until he realized she was drooling on him. He was wearing one of his better shirts too. Meanwhile, Fuyuhiko watched a movie and tried to order alcohol from the stewardess.

 _“Come on, don’t you know who I am? Just one drink! That is all I'm asking for, goddamnit!”_ Fortunately, no matter how much he tried to strong arm the stewardess, she never gave him any alcohol and made him settle for a soda instead. Peko had the most difficult time during the flight. She clutched the arm rest and closed her eyes. Her face was more pale than usual. She looked visibly ill. Over the course of the flight, she seemed to turn a shade of green. She covered her mouth and struggled nonstop, to keep from vomiting. She eventually unbuckled from her seat and ran to the bathroom, where she remained for the rest of the flight. When she returned, her eyes were still watery and she took her seat.

 _“I deeply apologize for my unprofessional conduct.”_ She sniffled, sullenly. 

 _“Geez, it’s not your fault, Peko. Next time we can get you some motion sickness medicine before the flight”_ Hajime consoled. As he said that, Natsumi began to stir. Her head was still resting on Hajime’s shoulder. She awoke, drowsily, drool still seeping from the corner of her mouth. 

_“Nnghhhh~…. Are we there already?”_ She asked with a yawn as her hand grabbed onto Hajime’s shirt. She pulled her head up only to realize that her face was inches from his. Her eyes went wide and she backed away in a lightning flash. 

_“W-what the shit?! Did…. I?”_ Her cheeks flushed furiously and she punched Hajime’s arm. _“Why did you let me do that, you… Jerk!”_ she barked angrily

 _“Ow, don’t punch me!....... If I'm gonna be perfectly honest, you’re a lot more easy to deal with when you’re sleeping, so I didn’t feel like waking you.”_ he retorted, smugly.

 _“Hey, will you two lovebirds knock it off already! I don't wanna watch this shit. Hurry up and help us with the luggage. Peko looks like she is about to paint the floor a new color.”_ Fuyuhiko snapped at them. Meanwhile Peko was once again holding her hand over her mouth.

( _What the hell?! She’s still sick?!_ ) Hajime marveled.

 _“I...I’m.. *ughlk*..... I’m so sorry, everyone…..”_ Peko mumbled through her hand.

\------------

After getting off the plane and retrieving their luggage, it was a 30 minute drive to the beach house. Along the way they passed through a heavy gate, to get onto the estate owned by the Kuzuryu family. They were far from any of the tourist beaches. This place felt isolated, untouched and harmonious with nature. They finally had reached their destination. Like Hajime expected, it was breathtaking, knee weakening. The house was absolutely gorgeous. As he approached it, he could see it had a subtle mix of both modern and old fashioned architecture. The roof had a rustic pagoda style and the house towered over the majestic ocean scenery. When they entered the house, Hajime’s jaw practically hit the floor. He was greeted with a large living room with massive 15ft bay windows. They offered a perfect view of the sea.

Natsumi entered after him and saw him just standing there, looking around in amazement.  _“Uh, earth to Hajime. Are you just going to stand there gawking or are you gonna help get the luggage inside?”_ Natsumi jeered, giving Hajime a light smack on the back of the head to snap him out of his trance. He grabbed his things and carried them up to one of the guest bedrooms upstairs.

( _Jesus. Just one of these bedrooms is bigger than my entire dorm)_

He marveled, setting his bags on the bed. He took a few moments to unpack the essentials and get fully acclimated to the room he would be staying in. Hajime strolled back down the carpeted stairs and wandered into the kitchen. When he got there, he nearly walked right into a tall, muscular bear-ish man in his 50s. His arms were covered in tattoos and he had a grizzled face. The man held a meat cleaver in his hand. Hajime nearly jumped out of his skin.

 _“Woah!”_ he exclaimed, tripping over his own feet falling onto his rear end. The man looked down at him and then burst out into boisterous laughter.

 _“Sorry about that. Didn’t mean to startle ya, kid. The name’s Satsuo”_ He chuckled as he reached down to help him up. As he did so, Hajime could could see that his left hand was missing half of his pinky. Regardless, Hajime took his hand, and the man easily pulled him back onto his feet. 

_“So, you must be Hajime Hinata. Matsushige told me you would be coming.”_ At first Hajime was confused. Then he remembered.

 _“What? The Oyabun!?”_ he exclaimed. Hajime wondered what kind of man would refer to the Oyabun on a first name basis.

 _“Yeah. Unfortunately, my little brother won’t be able to make it out here. He has urgent business to attend do. But make yourself at home, my friend. I’m sure that’s what he’d want.”_ He said with a smile, giving Hajime a hard pat on the back. Just at that moment, Fuyuhiko and Natsumi walked into the kitchen. Natsumi’s face lit up and she darted over to the man.

 _“Uncle!”_ she exclaimed embracing him tightly as he lifted her off the ground.  Satsuo laughed heartily 

_“There’s the little princess. You've been staying out of trouble, I hope.”_ he said, setting her down.

 _“You know it!”_ she said with a childish grin and a wink, lying through her teeth.

 _“So, whatcha making for us, old timer?”_ Fuyuhiko snickered, scoping out the counter, where Satsuo was preparing lobster. Satsuo walked over and put his arm around Fuyuhiko. 

 _“Something that’ll hopefully put some meat on those bones and make you grow a few inches. You’ve not been eating right, boy”_ he ribbed, as Fuyuhiko grew flushed and angry. 

 _“Piss off, ya old geezer! I’m gonna hit a growth spurt any day now! Just you watch! You won’t be laughing when I can kick your ass!”_ he fumed. In response to this, the old man just roared with laughter. Even Hajime had to cover his mouth and suppress a chuckle.

Fuyuhiko noticed this and pointed a finger at him. _“Shut it!"_

The four of them got seated at the table in the dining room while Satsuo finished preparing the food in the other room. The smell was heavenly. Hajime’s mouth began to water, in anticipation. Satsuo brought out 4 plates of lobster legs and tails. The legs had been boilled to perfection and they came with his home made dipping sauce. The tails had a sweet miso glaze.  He also poured them all some of the finest tea, to go with the meal. Hajime took one bite of lobster tail and was overcome by sheer deliciousness. He was almost moved to tears.

 _“This is…… unbelievable…. I don't think I’ve ever tasted anything like this in my life”_ he gushed with euphoria. Natsumi and the others were munching down the food and savoring it, but not as tenaciously as Hajime. They were used to this kind of cuisine. 

 _“Uncle owns a string of restaurants in Osaka. People come from all around the world to try his dishes. He is actually kinda famous.”_ Natsumi bragged.

Meanwhile, Satsuo called from the other room. _“If you guys want seconds, I’m making another batch”_

Hajime thought he had died and gone to heaven. Finally his friendship with Natsumi was paying off. He continued to savor every bite of the food, dizzy with pleasure. He turned to Natsumi, with a stupid grin. 

_“I think I'm in love….”_ he said. Natsumi blushed red and was taken off guard. 

 _“W-what the hell? Wh-why would you confess something like that right now!?”_ She stammered, nervously. Then there was a laugh, coming from the kitchen, as Satsuo walked in. He patted Hajime on the shoulder.

 _“Don’t flatter yourself, princess. He isn’t talking about you. Hajime here is a man of culture. He knows how to appreciate fine cuisine, isn’t that right, son?”_ he chuckled slapping Hajime on the back, almost making him choke. Hajime nodded and gave a thumbs up. Natsumi scowled and rolled her eyes. Satsuo put his arm around Hajime’s shoulder.

_“Ill tell ya what, kid. I’m gonna be here all week, on a little vacation of my own. While I’m here, how about I teach you a few recipes you can make back home? Don’t worry, they’re easy as hell and they’re on the cheap. It’s what me and Matsu lived on when we were in college.”_

Hajime pressed both of his palms together and bowed his head slightly.

 _“Please teach me your ways, oh culinary master!”_ he spouted in a dramatic voice.

Natsumi just scoffed. _“Oh brother…”_

\------------

After the meal, they still had the rest of the day. The beach was tempting, but Peko was still feeling under the weather, so they decided against it. They lounged around the house, watching TV. Hajime got to test out the game console. It was the PZ4.5. This thing hadn’t even hit the market yet. Apparently, the Kuzuryu family was a major shareholder in the company’s stock, so they got complimentary consoles long before release. It was Just another perk of being one of the most powerful families in Japan. As the sun began to set Hajime lounged on the couch, looking out at the glistening sea, through the enormous, glass windows. Fuyuhiko walked in carrying two bottles in his hands. They were a golden yellow color, with a green label on them.  
  
_“Come out on the deck with me, Hajime”_ He said, holding up the drinks. 

 _“Uh, I dunno, man. I'm not sure if-”_ Hajime began to protest, before Fuyuhiko interrupted him.

 _“It wasn’t a request, dumbass. Come on”_ he ordered, harshly. Hajime sighed and decided to go along with him. They stepped out onto the deck, overlooking the beach. There were benches surrounding the edges of the deck, and a table in the center of it. The deck itself spanned nearly the entire length of the house. You could host a whole party out here. 

 _“Take it”_ Fuyuhiko muttered, as he offered Hajime one of the beverages. Hajime took it and realized it was beer.

 _“Woah…. Uh… you know…. This is kinda illegal”_ Hajime said, nervously

Fuyuhiko gave him a stony look of disapproval and rolled his eyes.

 _“Jesus Christ, Hinata. Do you realize who you’re talking to? Do you realize where the fuck you are? If you’re gonna be tagging along with our family then you’re seriously gonna need to grow some balls. This is no big deal”_ He said as he began struggling to twist the cap off of his bottle. Finally it  screwed off, letting out a hissing noise of escaping carbonation gasses. Hajime looked at his bottle and sighed before doing the same. Both of them lifted it to their noses and both of them had a similar reaction. It smelled…. Strange.

 _“So, why did you want me to come out here?”_ Hajime asked, partly out of curiosity and partly trying to put off trying the beer. Fuyuhiko let out a “tch” sound and looked at the floor.

 _“Well, Peko’s still resting and she probably wouldn't want beer anyway. Then there’s Natsumi. I don't really know how she would react to booze, so I definitely not gonna ask her. Satsuo would…. just piss me off the whole time. And I sure as hell not gonna drink by myself. So you were pretty much the only option.”_ He responded, bluntly.  _“Gee, thanks. I'm honored.”_ Hajime muttered, sarcastically. _“So are we gonna drink this stuff or should we do some kind of toast first? Isn’t that what adults do when they drink?”_ Hajime asked.

 _“Fuck if I know. Who cares? I thought we were just supposed to drink them. It's not rocket science”_ Fuyuhiko responded, annoyed.

Hajime came to a realization. _“Wait a minute, is this your first time drinking?”_ he asked. Fuyuhiko’s face grew a bit red and he fumed angrily.

 _“Of course it isn't, idiot! I'm a goddamn coinessuir, got it!? Just hurry up and do the toast already.”_ He grumbled, holding up his bottle. 

 _“Uh, ok.”_ Hajime said as he awkwardly lifted his beer bottle close to Fuyuhiko’s. _“To a…. long and fruitful friendship”_ he said, in a stilted tone of voice.

 _“That sounds kinda gay”_ Fuyuhiko complained. Hajime felt a pang of annoyance.

 _“I don't care. That’s the toast and i'm sticking to it”_ Hajime snapped as he clinked his bottle against Fuyuhiko’s. Then both the guys brought their beer to their lips and took a swig of it. Both them were not prepared for the dry, bitter flavor. It was a taste they certainly hadn’t acquired yet. They both tried to keep a straight face. Fuyuhiko forced another chug down, cringing a little at the taste.

 _“It’s pretty good stuff”_ He jeered, proudly. Hajime knew he was lying through his teeth, but he gave a thumbs up. 

_“H-hell yeah. Beer’s pretty awesome. I could probably drink… three or….. six more of these things.”_ He chuckled before taking another swig of the golden yellow liquid. _(This tastes like piss)_ they both thought, simultaneously.

Hajime and Fuyuhiko had finished half their respective bottles and Hajime waited to feel the effects of alcohol for the first time.

 _“So…. uh… are you feeling anything yet?”_ He asked. 

 _“What? Of course not, genius! It takes a little while for it to get through your system. Geez, you're such a scrub.”_ Fuyuhiko jabbed, as he took another swig. _“So, while we’re out here, I guess we should talk about stuff.”_ He said, as night was beginning to fall and there was a cool breeze. Fuyuhiko leaned against the railing of the deck.  _“So, be honest with me Hajime. Why did you come out here? Was it cuz my dad asked you to? Was it cuz you just wanted a taste of the high life. Or….. are you just gunning for my sister?”_ he asked, pointedly.

Hajime froze up a bit as Fuyuhiko was eyeing him suspiciously. Hajime turned away for a moment and gulped down some more beer, shivering a bit at the taste, as he was still not used to it. He exhaled calmly and turned to Fuyuhiko. 

_“Its nothing like that. I'm not trying to get with Natsumi or anything. Trust me”._ Fuyuhiko raised a concerned eyebrow. 

_“Im not fuckin blind. I see the way you two talk to each other. You bicker like an old married couple and you’re always together. Seriously, you may not realize it, but you are way closer to her than anyone else has ever gotten.”_

_“Why do you say that?”_ Hajime asked as he also leaned on the railing, holding his beer with the other hand. Fuyuhiko sighed and looked up at the sky, where stars were starting to become visible.

 _“Come on, man. Do I really gotta spell it out for you? You_ **_know_ ** _Natsumi. You know that her people skills are… pretty much garbage. I mean, don’t get me wrong. She is a great sister and I would kill for her, but she can be pain in the ass. So, you can probably guess she didn’t have many friends in elementary school or middle school. The ones she did get, didn't last long.”_

Hajime couldn’t say this surprised or shocked him. Natsumi was beyond abrasive. In fact she seemed to actively work to make people dislike her. If it weren’t for Hajime, she would have zero friends at Hope’s Peak. 

_“So where do I come into all of this?”_ Hajime asked.

 _“You tell me, dumbass. You just appeared in Natsumi’s life, and now, here you are going on vacation with her. Whether she admits it or not, you’re important to her. And just so you know, I'm not telling you this to help **you** out. So don’t get it twisted” _ Fuyuhiko grumbled, taking another swig of his beer and letting out a burp. 

_“Im telling you this, so I can give you a fair warning. If you hurt Natsumi or break her heart, there will be hell to pay”_ He said with a serious glare.

Hajime felt a chill of intimidation, but for some reason he was feeling a little empowered. Maybe it was the first hints of an alcohol buzz kicking in. Or maybe he was feeling extra daring because he was breaking the rules.

“ _So what do you mean by that, exactly? Are you going to beat me up?”_ He asked flippantly, almost mockingly. Then Fuyuhiko just grinned in response.

 _“Oh no. I won’t be the one who comes after you. That will be Peko’s job.”_ Hajime gulped. He could only imagine where Peko might decide to ram that kendo sword of hers. Hajime respected Peko, but that girl would be dangerous to have as an enemy. Hajime nodded. 

_“Ok. Understood.”_ He said, fearfully.

 _“Good. Don’t forget it.”_ Fuyuhiko smirked before taking another couple swigs of the beer.  _“Anyway, let’s talk about something else. But first, go grab us more beer. This isn’t kicking in at all yet.”_ He complained, as he had almost finished his first one. Hajime had his reservations, but he went along with it. When he returned, he saw Fuyuhiko staring up at the stars. 

 _“So, Hinata. What’s your deal, man? I’ll be honest. I know pretty much jack shit about you. And I'm definitely not gonna start trusting you until I do. So get talking”_ It wasn’t the most friendly invitation, but Fuyuhiko was inquiring to know more about him, which was obviously a good sign.

 _“There isn’t much to say, really. I wanted to get into Hope’s Peak, but the reserve course was as close as I could get. I don’t have any special talents or abilities like you or Peko.”_ Hajime responded, a little glumly. He didn't particularly enjoy talking about himself. Fuyuhiko cracked open his second beer and chuckled.

 _“I should have figured as much. You come off like just a boring, average joe. And you’re kind of a pussy too, if I’m gonna be honest.”_ Hajime felt a sting at his words. 

_“Hey man, lay off a little will you? I may not have grown up in the same world as you, Natsumi and Peko, but I’m_ **_not_ ** _a coward”_ He said as he glared at Fuyuhiko. 

 _“See? This is what I'm talking about. Someone talks shit to you and you just sit there and complain about it. What you really gotta do is just deck them in the face”_ Fuyuhiko said with a grin, making a gesture by punching his palm with his fist. Something was off about his speech and movements though. He seemed a little tipsy. Was he already becoming buzzed?

 _“Um… wait….  you want me to punch you in the face?”_ Hajime asked, perplexed. Fuyuhiko shrugged his shoulders. 

_“Eh. It doesn’t really matter because we both know you’re not gonna do it. The point is, you gotta change your fuckin mindset, man. That’s the key.”_

_“W-what are you talking about? You sound like some kind of deranged self help guru”_ Hajime grumbled, as he watched Fuyuhiko take a bunch of huge gulps of his drink. The taste of beer was a lot more tolerable as you continuously drank more. It was around that time that Hajime could also feel his head getting lighter. He felt a bit warm and dizzy. 

 _“Look man, *hic* I gotta be straight with you.”_ Fuyuhiko chuckled deliriously as he walked over put his hand on Hajime’s shoulder. _“Ill tell you a little secret. There’s not much special about me. I’m the ultimate Yakuza because of my damn birthright. I’ve never killed or extorted anyone. I’ve never fought against enemy clans. I don’t have much experience leading other people. I don’t even have fuckin tattoos yet. But ya know what? I’m still gonna carry myself with pride. And if anyone talks shit, they’re gonna feel the pain, ya feel me?”_ Fuyuhiko ranted, as he leaned on Hajime

Somehow, his rant made a little bit of sense to Hajime. He could actually  tell what he was getting at. It was akin to the old phrase “fake it, till you make it.” Hajime remembered Natsumi’s words from the very first day they met, when they were in the cafeteria together. _“You really should stand up for yourself more often”_ she had said. Both her and Fuyuhiko had problems with their personalities. Fuyuhiko was rude and hot tempered and Natsumi took it to a even higher level. Despite all that, they had confidence. Hajime couldn’t deny that. They refused to be pushed around by others. There was something admirable in that. Through his whole life, Hajime had been prodded by others, telling him how to act and who he should strive to be. He bent to the will of those around him because he never wanted to rock the boat. It was no wonder he felt so powerless in life.

 _“Maybe you’re right…. No, you’re definitely right. I gotta change. I gotta get stronger”_ Hajime said, with determination and a clenched fist. Fuyuhiko smiled and raised his fist as well. 

 _“Of course of I'm right!...... You know what, Hajime? You’re not so bad. With a little work, you could be a certified badass, just like me”_ He gloated, while he chugged down more beer. 

 _“So, I’ve decided i'm gonna help ya. By the time I'm done, you’re gonna be the most alpha son of a bitch that has ever lived.”_ He ranted, waving the beer bottle around. Hajime almost had tears in his eyes. The alcohol was taking full effect. He was feeling a flood of emotions. He put his arm around Fuyuhiko’s shoulder. 

_“Fuyuhiko, when I first met you, I thought you would be a total douchebag with a napoleon complex. But now I see I was wrong about that. You’re a great man.”_ Fuyuhiko was so buzzed he didn’t even notice the insult.

_“And when I first met you, I thought you were just some beta orbiter piece of shit who just wanted to mack on my sister. But maybe… just maybe, you could actually be the bro I never had!”_

They both sat down and continued to take a more swigs of their booze. They began talking about random and innocuous “manly” topics, laughing at the most nonsensical jokes. Half an hour passed, and they became even more inebriated, despite only having 2 beers a piece. Fuyuhiko really took it the hardest. He was a lightweight for sure.

\------------

Natsumi was in her room, watching TV, lounging on the bed in her pajamas. She had texted Hajime a few times, but he hadn’t responded. It was obviously a little asinine to text someone who is literally two rooms down, but she didn’t want to go and knock on his door. The optics of doing that made her uncharacteristically uneasy. She sighed to herself and got out of bed. She headed down to the kitchen for a glass of water, when she heard laughter outside. _“What the hell?”_ She muttered to herself. She listened at the door and she could hear them talking. First she could make out Hajime’s voice.  
  
_“So, just when everything was finally calming down, you’ll never guess what happens next. Mahiru, of all people, walks in…. holding a bento box! Can you believe that?”_ Fuyuhiko wheezed with laughter. 

_“You sly bastard! You didn’t tell me you were such a lady’s man! I never would have guessed that! You should have tried to get a foursome going right there.”_ he smirked, nudging Hajime with his elbow

 _“Uh, wait.... You realize one of those girls was your sister, right?”_ Just then, Natsumi burst through the door, with an annoyed look on her face. She assessed the situation.

 _“What the hell is going on out here? Since when did you two get all buddy buddy? And…. what the...!? You guys were out here drinking and partying this whole time, and you didn't even bother to tell me? You…. assholes!”_ She scolded, but Fuyuhiko just chuckled in response. 

 _“Sorry Natsumi. But we follow a rule in this house. Bros before hoe-”_ He didn’t get to finish, because Natsumi slammed her fist into his cheek in mid sentence. Fuyuhiko tumbled out of his seat and sprawled on the floor. Hajime rushed over to him to make sure he was alright and then looked up at Natsumi, who was still clenching her fist and fuming with anger. He smiled awkwardly.

 _“Heh heh…. That was quite a punch. Remind me not to get on your bad side”_ he joked. Natsumi did not look thrilled. She crossed her arms and scowled down at him. 

 _“It’s too late for that. I'm pretty fucking mad at you, right now”_ she said, seething. Hajime could sense something different in her tone. It lacked her typical snark and arrogance. She seemed genuinely hurt, that she had been left out. 

 _“Ok, I get it. It was kinda uncool for us to do this without you. Next time we can all hang out together. Tonight got kinda outta hand. So, let’s just try to forget about it and have a fresh start tomorrow, ok?”_ He said, reassuringly placing his hand on Natsumi’s shoulder.

Natsumi blushed slightly. _(What the hell?)_ She thought to herself. _(When did get so mature…. And confident?)_

She was taken off guard by his calm and empathetic approach, rather than getting annoyed with her or shrugging her off. Natsumi looked down and mumbled _“fine.”_ And walked back inside. Hajime was glad he had defused that situation. But he came to the realization that he still had Fuyuhiko to deal with. Hajime bent down and lifted Fuyuhiko onto to his feet. The boy was only semi conscious. Hajime helped him inside and up the stairs. He flopped Fuyuhiko down on his bed. After that, Hajime returned to his own room and fell onto his own bed. It was so much larger, softer, cooler, and more comfortable than the one back home. It wasn’t long before he was out like a light.

 


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning Hajime awoke with a shock. He felt something prod him in the face. He wrestled awake and looked up to see Peko standing over his bed. She had her bamboo kendo sword out and was poking him in the cheek with it.

 _“Why did you not set your alarm?”_ She demanded to know, while she sheathed her kendo sword. Hajime grunted and sat up in his bed. He grabbed his phone off the dresser and looked at the time. _(5:00AM?! Oh god, she can’t mean…..)_ his mind came to the grim realization. 

 _“Wait. Are you telling me I still have to train even while we’re on vacation?”_ He whined. He had a bit of a headache from the escapades of the previous night and his stomach was still feeling a little off. This was the last thing he wanted to do.

Peko nodded intently _“Of course you do. If you aren’t consistent, then you will never improve. Besides, the beaches and water here are perfect for cardio activities, which you need to improve upon.”_ She elaborated as Hajime rubbed his eyes. He sighed deeply, now regretting having the foresight to bring his workout clothes and running shoes, just in case they partook in sports activities during the trip. It was summer after all. Now he couldn't use that as an excuse to weasel his way out of this situation. He begrudgingly got out of bed and quickly got dressed.

The sun hadn’t even risen yet. Hajime and peko quietly walked downstairs and slipped outside, without waking the others. Over the course of the morning, they ended up running three kilometers in the sand. Hajime quickly learned how difficult and debilitating this was. Every step seemed to suck the energy out of him. However, these hellish conditions would work wonders for improving Hajime’s stamina over the course of the following two weeks. After their run, Hajime hobbled back up to his room and took a long, hot shower. After it was all said and done, he did feel refreshed. He was starting to get accustomed to the joy of taking hard earned relaxation after a strenuous workout. It was about that time that the others were waking up, so he didn't bother going back to bed.

\------------

The time had finally come. Hajime had been looking forward to this moment. Everyone had eaten a good breakfast and the sun was high. He stepped out onto the deck in his bathing suit. He Hopped over the railing and began heading out towards the ocean. Fuyuhiko was already waiting for him. 

 _“Are the girls still changing? Why do all women take forever with this shit?”_ Fuyuhiko complained, resting his hands on the back of his head, and closing his eyes. 

 _“They should be out soon. Don’t worry”_ Hajime said with a content, almost mischievous smile, as he began envisioning what they might look like. This didn’t go unnoticed by Fuyuhiko. 

 _“Hey man, what’s with that look?”_ He asked, with a raised eyebrow. Hajime snapped back to reality. 

_“Huh? What look? This is just my face.”_ Hajime replied. Fuyuhiko scowled and made a “tch” noise of disapproval.

 _“Just so we’re clear, I better not catch you eyeballing my sister,”_ he said, threateningly.  Hajime brushed it off. 

_“Whatever. I don’t know why you assume I’m so into her”_ He muttered dismissively. And then he heard a voice calling out. Natsumi was coming towards them, with Peko not too far behind. Natsumi was wearing a turquoise bikini and had her hair in a side tail, to help keep it from getting unruly when wet. This was the first time that Hajime really got a good look at her body and he was stunned. Natsumi’s cleavage exceeded his estimates and expectations. She had slender waist, with supple hips and the perfect amount of thickness to her thighs. Hajime was mesmerized as he watched her approach. It really didn’t feel like this was the same girl he had known the past month.

 _“So guys, what do ya think?”_ She gloated, smugly, showing off her swimsuit. She made an elegant pose, which was somewhat ruined by the smug, childish look on her face. Hajime found that comforting, honestly. Even though she looked way more womanly, she was still the same obnoxious Natsumi he knew so well. Following after her was Peko, who was gorgeous in her own right. She had a tall, athletic body and she was more well endowed than Natsumi in the chest department. For some reason she still carried her kendo sword, slung on her back, as if she might need it. Her hair was pulled back so it wouldn't get in her face.  
  
_“I brought the sunscreen, which we can all share. However, I will need someone to assist me in applying to my back”_ Peko explained. Fuyuhiko stepped forward, with a slight trickle of blood leaking from his right nostril. 

_“I gotcha covered, Peko. Don’t worry about”_ He tried to play off, casually. Natsumi was on to him.

 _“Yeeaah..... nice try big bro. Come on, Peko”_ she said, taking her hand and leading her over to the towels. Fuyuhiko had a stunned look of defeat on his face. 

 _“Looks like we’re on our own… bro”_ Hajime said, placing his hand on Fuyuhiko’s shoulder, as he too found himself rather dejected that he wasn’t going to get to put lotion on Natsumi either. In the end, the duty was divided by gender, much to the chagrin of the guys. The girls didn’t seem to mind, however.

\------------

 _“OK guys, I've got a pretty badass idea”_ Natsumi proclaimed proudly, with a grin on her face. 

_“Since we have four people this time, that means we can do a chicken fight!”_

_“Isn’t that like a cavalry battle? The thing at sports festivals where people team up and carry someone on their shoulders?”_ Hajime asked, recalling his middle school days.  Natsumi nodded enthusiastically. 

_“Yup. All we gotta do is split up into two teams. And see who gets knocked off first. Pretty simple,”_ She explained to the others. The others looked intrigued. Fuyuhiko thought about it for a moment and nodded. _“OK. I'm down for that.”_

 _“But wait a minute. How are we going to divide up the teams? Who’s gonna be on top?”_ Hajime asked, directing his attention to Natsumi. She put her hands on her hips and shot him an annoyed look. 

_“Uh, it’s pretty obvious isn't it? The guys will be carrying the girls. Geez, do you expect me to carry your heavy ass around?”_ She responded, smugly. 

 _“Oh yeah. That makes sense. So do you want to pair up with me then, Natsumi?”_ Hajime asked her. Her cheeks began to glow red and her expression changed drastically. She broke eye contact and looked away, adjusting her hair. 

_“Yeah, that would be fine, i guess….”_ She mumbled

 _“Well then, it looks like you and me are a team, Peko”_ Fuyuhiko said with a thumbs up. Peko smiled warmly and nodded. 

_“Yes, it appears so. I will do my best, young master.”_ The group waded into the calm water of the bay. It was pleasantly cool, the perfect temperature for swimming. They walked out to where the water was roughly 4 and half feet deep. Hajime could have gone deeper, but given Fuyuhiko’s height, that might prove to be a little too difficult. As it was, Fuyuhiko’s head and barely any of his shoulders were above water.

 _“Ok, Natsumi. Hop on”_ Hajime said as he knelt down into the water, allowing Natsumi to climb up on his shoulders more easily. He felt Natsumi’s body brush against his and then felt her warm, supple thighs rest on his shoulders and brush up against his cheeks. Her body was warm and her skin was so soft. Hajime felt something stir with him. She placed her hands on top of his head and adjusted in her seat, which inadvertently make her crotch press against his neck. He began to feel flustered and he stood up quickly, more quickly than Natsumi was expecting. She almost lost her balance and fell off, but she caught herself just in time. 

_“Woah! Warn me before you make any sudden movements, ya fuckin idiot!”_ she barked angrily, light hammering the top of his head with her balled up hand.

Meanwhile Peko had climbed onto Fuyuhiko. His face was crimson. Hajime could practically see steam coming off of it, as Peko’s legs rested on his shoulders. She looked down at him, concerned _._

 _“Are you alright, young master? I am sorry if my weight is troublesome for you”_ she apologized, shamefully. While it was true that she weighed more than Fuyuhiko and was quite the burden, that was the last thing on his mind right now. 

_“It’s… fine”_ he sighed. 

 _“Ok, let’s do this! Come at me Peko! I'm gonna wipe the ocean floor with you”_ She gloated.  _“Charge, my steed!_ ” she yelled and pointed, ordering Hajime forward. Hajime wasn't quite fond of his new title, but he did as she commanded, trying to keep her balanced on top of him.  
  
_“Just because I serve your family, do not expect me to take it easy on you, Lady Natsumi,” s_ he said as she prepared herself. She raised her arms at her sides and when the girls got in range of each other, they grabbed each other’s hands, intertwining fingers. They both strained and struggled to push or pull the other one off, with all their strength. Their eyes locked and the boys could practically feel the sparks flying. Hajime and Fuyuhiko both made eye contact for a moment and shared a mutual smirk. This was already the best summer vacation ever.

The game continued for well over an hour. They played many rounds and even swapped places a few times. Fuyuhiko’s team was actually much more effective with Peko on the bottom and her young master on top. Natsumi, on the other hand, had an extremely difficult time, keeping Hajime on her shoulders. It was a rigorous, physically demanding game, but all four of them found themselves laughing more than they had in a long time.

\------------

After the chicken fight, Peko decided to take some time to relax on the beach. The other three opted to play a different game. They got out a beach ball and played “keep away” while waist deep in the water. One person would stand in the middle while the other two had to pass the ball back and forth without it falling into the hands of the third person. This had always been one of Natsumi’s favorite games as a kid and she played with an enthusiasm that Hajime had rarely seen from her. Of course, she was significantly less enthusiastic when she was the one stuck in the middle being taunted by her brother and Hajime.

Satsuo prepared them an extravagant feast, around lunch time. They all greedily scarfed it down, to refuel their expended calories throughout the day. After that was finished, it was time for something that Natsumi had mentioned to Hajime much earlier. They walked out to a small pier located on the property. There were three waverunner jetskis parked on the dock. They were suspended out of the water by a hydraulic metal lift. Each one of them were made to accommodate two people, three if one of the passengers was a small child.  Hajime had never seen these things in person, much less ridden one.

 _“Man, it feels like it's been forever since I’ve taken one of these puppies out for a ride.”_ Fuyuhiko grinned, as he pressed the button to lower the jetski’s into the water. Hajime took note of the fact that there were only three of them. This made sense, since normally it was only Natsumi, Peko and Fuyuhiko on these summer trips. However that was a problem now. Natsumi noticed Hajime’s concern and nudge him with her elbow. 

 _“I forgot to ask dad to get an extra waverunner, but don’t worry about it. You can ride with me, but im driving. You’re gonna have to ride bitch.”_ she said smugly. So much for Hajime getting preferential treatment for being the guest. All three of them climbed onto their respective jetskis. Hajime then climbed on, behind Natsumi. 

_“Er, what should I grab onto?”_ he asked.

 _“Ugh! Just grab my waist, genius. If you try to grab anything else, I’ll feed you to the fucking sharks, got it?”_ She responded curtly.  Hajime shrugged and then placed his arms around her waist, resting his hands on her flat, soft stomach. Natsumi suddenly tensed up. She felt a shiver up her spine and tingles of erogenous pleasure at his warm touch on her sensitive stomach. His fingers were brushing dangerously close to her navel. 

 _“F-fuck…”_ she whispered to herself. She bit her lip and felt blood rushing to her face. She suddenly gunned the engine and sped off, surprising the hell out of the others and especially Hajime.   

_“Woah, Shit! Warn me before you just take off like that!”_ He yelled over the engine as Natsumi was leaning forward, intensely. 

_“J-just shut up and hold on!”_ She yelled back at him.

They blazed through the water at max speed for half an hour and Hajime could tell how flustered Natsumi was.

 _“Hey! Natsumi!”_ he yelled over the engine. She heard him and slowed down to a coasting speed, as the waverunner gently rocked back and forth in the waves. 

 _“Yeah, what is it”_ she responded, looking a little exhausted.

 _“Do you want to switch places? Just for a little bit?”_ he asked as she looked at him weakly, her cheeks still flushed.

 _“Uh… sure”_ she mumbled, toying with her hair. With a little maneuvering, they were able to swap places. Hajime took position, slipping on the shut-off lanyard onto his wrist. Meanwhile Natsumi leaned in. Hajime felt a sudden wave of warmth. He felt her two firm orbs press against his back and felt her arms wrap around his body. His heartbeat increased feverishly. He felt so strange. Feeling Natsumi’s body pressed up against him like this was strangely comforting. He could feel her chest move with her breathing. He could even feel her hot breath on his shoulder. There was something intoxicating about it.

 _“W-what the hell are you waiting for? Let’s get going.”_ she complained, meekly, before Hajime sped off to chase after Peko and Fuyuhiko. Natsumi rested her head on his back and closed her eyes, smiling to herself.

\------------

The next morning, Hajime awoke to the alarm on his phone. He climbed out of bed and got dressed. He heard a knock at his door. As expected, Peko was standing there waiting for him. She wore tight shorts and a tanktop. 

 _“I have a different sort of training planned for you today, Hajime.”_ She said, as she led him downstairs. _“You aren’t going to be running today. Your legs probably still need to rest and rebuild muscle. So instead I will be straying from the established schedule. Today I will give you your first lesson in basic combat training.”_

Peko led Hajime out of the house and out to the beach. Like usual, she carried her kendo sword in the bag on her shoulder. They stopped once they reached an area equidistant from the house and the water. It offered the widest area possible. Peko unslung her sword bag from her shoulder. To Hajime’s surprise, she pulled out two kendo swords. They were light weight, traditional, and made out of bamboo. She tossed one to Hajime. 

 _“You will be using this in our sparring session. You probably won’t ever use a sword in real combat, but they are a good way of illustrating combat fundamentals”_ She said, in a matter of fact tone. She then took her sword and began encircling the area, dragging it through the sand. She was setting up the ring-out zone for their sparring.

Hajime felt a little uneasy about this.  _“Wait a minute. You’re the ultimate swordswoman, right? This isn’t exactly a fair contest,” h_ e complained, flatteringly.

 _“This isn’t a contest. This will be instructional. I will not be truly exerting myself. If that were the case, you would probably end up dead”_ She said, casually, which made Hajime’s heart drop. Peko stepped into the arena she had constructed, at the opposite end from Hajime. 

 _“Now, I want you to come at me as if you have the intent to kill. I don’t want you holding anything back. Trust me, there is no need for you to do so. I will be fine”_ She assured him taking out her sword, stepping backwards with her left foot, and assuming a one-handed stance.

Hajime steeled himself. All that could be heard was the crashing of the waves and his own breathing. Hajime clutched the sword with two hands. He realized he would have to end this as quickly as possible. So, he darted forward, attempting to strike swiftly, perhaps with an element of surprise. Unfortunately the sand slowed him down substantially. When he reached Peko he swung with a mid body strike from his right. Before he could even complete the swing, peko had stepped forward and parried the blow. It was so quick, it seemed impossible. She did so without even diverting her eyes away from his face. She took another step forward and conked him on the head with the hilt of her sword. Hajime was knocked off balance and landed on his ass. He rubbed his forehead.

 _“W-what the hell was that.?_ ” he asked, annoyed. Peko stabbed her kendo sword into the sand and rested her hands on the hilt. 

_“Approximately 78% of close combat encounters start with a right armed attack. For a rookie that number is even higher. So, your first attack was blatantly predictable. I could have beaten you with my eyes closed.”_

Hajime climbed to his feet. The pain in his forehead wore off. 

 _“So just by analyzing the situation, you can make predictions about what your opponent might do, before they even do it?”_ He realized, with awe. Peko nodded her head. 

 _“That is correct. This is the key to a swift victory, defeating your opponent in five moves or less. This is a lot easier said than done, however. It requires practice, battle-space awareness, and experience_ _.“_

Hajime took in Peko’s words and climbed to his feet. There was a lot more to fighting than strength and speed. Cunning and strategy were also needed in order to win a battle of life and death. Hajime walked a few meters away from Peko and began formulating a basic plan in his mind. If nothing else, he at least wanted to make the fight last longer than two moves. He charged at Peko with full speed. She readied her defensive stance once again. Hajime knew she would be prepared for a right sided attack. He decided to take her by surprise by  coming in low for a stabbing strike. Peko gracefully turned her sword horizontally in a forward sweeping motion, to defect Hajime’s flimsy attack. However, Hajime quickly pivoted and spun around, going in for a low, leg sweep with his sword. Peko had not anticipated this, but her reflexes saved her. She hopped over the attack and brought her sword down towards Hajime’s face, stopping mere inches away from it. Hajime winced and closed his eyes, before slowly opening them.

 _“That was a risky move, giving up your footing for a surprise attack at your enemy’s legs. However, you did better than last time. Now, get on your feet and try again.”_ Hajime couldn't help but feel a little discouraged. Peko was leagues above him in combat ability and experience. He had a long way to go before he was ready for a real fight.

 _“This time I will give myself a greater handicap”_ She said, sliding her sword into the bag and slinging it over her shoulder. _“I will not use a weapon in our fight.”_

Hajime’s jaw dropped. _“What? That’s crazy! How are you supposed to win if you don't even have a sword?_ ” he asked, feeling uneasy about this whole thing. 

 _“Do not concern yourself with me. I will demonstrate to you that victory is still attainable, even at a disadvantage.”_ She said, crossing her arms. 

_“Begin,”_ she said. Hajime hesitated for a moment and then clasped his sword tightly. He thought to himself

_(If I'm going to become strong enough to protect Natsumi, I can’t back down from this. Sorry Peko, but you’re going down)_

He charged at her once more. He started off with a vertical downward swipe, forcing her to dodge either left or right. She chose left and that is when Hajime swung his sword horizontally to hopefully catch her in the stomach, before she could regain balance. But she elegantly twisted her body so that it barely missed her abdomen. Peko then spun around to deliver a kick. She dragged her heel down into the sand and kicked upwards. Hajime thought she was aiming the kick at his face, but she was way off. That was when he was hit with splash of sand in his face. He instinctively closed his eyes and tried to rub it away, but as he did so he felt Peko’s palm smack into his face, while she expertly slid her leg behind his, to knock him off balance and send him tumbling to the ground, dropping his sword.

Hajime grabbed his jaw in pain, tasting a little blood. He tried to get remaining, irritating grains of sand out of his eyes. 

_“W-what the hell was that? You cheated!”_ he exclaimed, furiously.

 _“Cheated? There is no such thing in real combat, Hinata. In the real world, when faced with death, people will use anything they can to survive. What incentive is there to follow the rules when it will only get you and your loved ones killed? You must learn to use your environment as a weapon. Be aware of everything around you. If you don’t take advantage of it, your opponent will. That is a reality of this world and that is what I want you to take away from this experience”_ She said, reaching down to offer Hajime a hand, to help him up.

Peko’s training exercise lasted much longer than their usual routine. They were at it for hours, long after the sun had risen, sending rays of light shimmering on the sea behind them. Hajime’s body glistened with sweat, while Peko was not even winded. Hajime’s body had numerous welts and bruises on it, but nothing too serious. Just as they were finishing up another round, the door to the deck opened and Natsumi stepped outside. She was wearing a pair of jean shorts and a t-shirt, holding a cup of coffee. Her hair was disheveled and she looked grumpy. She looked out to see the two of them fighting in the sand.

 _“What the hell are they doing out there?”_ She asked herself, baffled. She set her coffee down and walked out there to get some answers. Peko and Hajime were locked in close combat and didn’t notice her approaching.

 _“Uhh, excuse me, but….. what the fuck are you guys doing?”_ she yelled out angrily. Both Peko and Hajime stopped to look at her, as they both had their swords locked. Hajime blushed slightly and backed away from Peko. 

_“Oh, hey Natsumi. Heh heh, about that. It’s kind of a long story…”_ he began to explain before Peko interrupted him. 

 _“I apologize, Lady Natsumi. I asked Hajime to accompany and assist me in my morning exercises and he agreed to. I hope this is alright with you”_ She said, giving a bow

Natsumi’s cheeks lit up red. _“Wh-why would you need my permission to do stuff with him? I don’t care who he hangs out with. I just don’t like being left out of the loop, that’s all.”_ she said, before storming off. Hajime realized in that moment that he still hadn’t told Natsumi about the request her father had made and the fact that he was undergoing this training for the very purpose of protecting her. For some reason, it just seemed like an awkward subject. Hajime knew he would definitely have to tell her eventually, but not yet. 

The rest of the day went by smoothly after that. After a nice hearty breakfast they decided to play some volleyball, boys against girls. Peko was the MVP by a substantial margin. Her height, acrobatics, and reflexes made her a formidable opponent. Hajime and Fuyuhiko never stood a chance. Nevertheless, they fought as fiercely as they could to protect their manhood and dignity. After an inevitable string of defeats, they decided it was time to throw in the towel. Natsumi seized this opportunity to gloat and rub it in their faces, even though Peko had done the vast majority of the work. Before long, nightfall had cast its shade over the Kuzuryu estate. Everyone had retired to their rooms except for Hajime, who sat at the table, eating some of the heated up leftovers that Satsuo had left in the fridge for them.

Hajime’s thoughts were interrupted as Satsuo walked into the room carrying groceries from a late-night run to the store.

“ _Ah, Hajime. You’re still up?”_ He asked, setting the bags down on the counter. 

_“Whats with the groceries?”_ Hajime asked, as Satsuo began putting them away.

 _“I always do my shopping at night. No crowds, the food doesn’t get as warm on the way back. Plus there is a nice young lady on the night shift, who always gives me the best discounts. She’s quite the fox. Looks like my charm still hasn’t worn off after all these years. This old dog’s still got it! Heh heh,”_ he chuckled to himself, confidently. _“So, Hajime. Now that we are alone, I have a question to ask you”_ he said casually.

Hajime looked up hesitantly at the imposing, muscular old man, with his robust face and endless tattoos.

 _“Uh sure. What is it?”_ he asked.

 _“How far do ya plan to take this?”_ He asked with surprising seriousness. Hajime was confused. 

 _“Uh, what do you mean?.........  You...You mean with Natsumi?”_ Hajime asked, to which Satsuo laughed. 

_“Woah, that’s a pretty big Freudian slip there, kid. I’m not just talking about her, but she’s big a part of it. I'm asking you how close do ya plan on getting to the Kuzuryu family? I’m pretty sure that my brother is interested in you. Let’s just say…... you got an interesting path ahead of ya, if you want to take it. So what’s plan?”_

Hajime mulled over his words and thought about it for a second.

 _“This is gonna sound stupid, but I don’t really have a plan right now.”_ He said, looking away in shame. Satsuo chuckled and gave Hajime a slap on the back. 

 _“Hey, don’t sweat it, kid. That’s how I was when I was your age. But I guess I had things more or less planned out for me, being an heir to the Kuzuryu-gumi.”_ Hajime had been wondering about that and decided to flip the questions on Satsuo. 

 _“So….. You’re a full-blown yakuza right?”_ he asked, hesitantly, not wanting to pry too deeply.

Satsuo nodded with a solemn smile. _“I used to be, son. I used to be. But that was a long time ago. I gave up that life because….. Well, I’ll just say that I made some mistakes. I was young and…. A  dumbass. But I’ll tell you what, I wouldn’t trade those years for anything in the world. Not a thing.”_ He said, as Hajime spotted a hint of sadness in his eyes, for the first time. But it was quickly masked with a smile. _“But that’s enough of this old man’s ramblings.”_ he said scratching the back of his head. Hajime wondered what kind of life this man had lived. What kind of things had he seen? Had he killed people before? Did he have any regrets? There was a lot that Hajime wanted to ask, but it would be better not to.

 _“Listen boy. I won’t tell ya what to do with your life, but I’ll tell ya this, so pay attention.  The world is harsh place. Our world is even harsher. It’s not for the faint of heart. It’s not pleasant. It will change you. You’ll be stronger and more dangerous than you ever thought possible. You may even scare yourself, sometimes. I don’t know if you have what it takes to live that kind of life. But if you’re gonna go for it, you are gonna have to commit. Once you get started on that road, there will be no turning back.”_ He said seriously, looking into Hajime’s eyes. He then turned away and put the last of the groceries away. 

_“Just food for thought, kid. I’m gonna head to bed. Old guys like me need our rest”_ He said before walking off, leaving Hajime to grapple with everything he had just told him.

Hajime felt the pangs of fear, twisting around in his gut, but he also felt something else. Adrenaline, anxiousness, excitement. For the first time, he began to envision a future for himself. A model of the man he could potentially become, began to form more coherently in his mind. A new path was open to him. It was a difficult one, a dangerous one, and a painful one. Despite all that, in that moment, Hajime realized that it excited him.


	9. Chapter 9

**2 Weeks Later**

The days of summer vacation flew by, before Hajime realized it. It was like some kind of dream. Every day was as rewarding and memorable as the last. He even found himself enjoying his morning training sessions with Peko. For once, in such a long time, Hajime completely forgot about all of his problems. All of his insecurities and desperation seemed to evaporate. He was simply enjoying life and enjoying it to the fullest. He even got a bit of a tan while he was there. It actually pained him to have to leave such a blissful, gorgeous place and return to hope’s peak.

It was the final afternoon of their trip. Satsuo helped them with their luggage and they were on their way. The flight home was much more pleasant than the first, since Peko was given heavy doses of motion sickness medicine, which also put her to sleep. Natsumi also fell asleep almost immediately. This time she was seated next to Peko and the two of them leaned on each other as they slept. Fuyuhiko and Hajime sat next to each other in silence. Fuyuhiko had his armed crossed. Hajime was the first to break the silence. 

_“You know, that was a pretty good week.”_ He said, watching the girls sleep across the isle from them. Fuyuhiko scoffed a bit, in his usual manner.

 _“Wow. You've got a real talent for stating the fucking obvious, you know that?”_ he responded

Hajime was growing more accustomed to the “Kuzuryu attitude” at this point, whether or not that was a good or bad thing. He grinned and nudged Fuyuhiko with his elbow. 

_“Come on, admit it. You’re glad I tagged along, right?”_ He said, snarkily. Fuyuhiko blushed a bit, angrily.

 _“Hey, don’t put words in my mouth, you bastard!”_ he grunted, but then he looked to his side, leaning his chin on his hand. He watched the girls across from them, peacefully sleeping together. _“Those two over there are the only ones I need by my side….. But I am glad you came along. Because even I have to admit Natsumi was really happy to have you around. I haven't seen her laugh this much since we were kids.”_

Hajime placed his hand on Fuyuhiko’s shoulder and grinned smugly. 

 _“Aww, nice of you to say that. Maybe I could end up being the "bro you never had."_ Hajime said, smugly. Fuyuhiko knocked his hand away angrily.

 _“Hey! I thought we agreed to never mention that night ever again!”_ he growled as he clenched his fist. Finally he calmed down and let out a sigh. _“Listen, Hajime. If you want to really be a part of my family then you still have a long ways to go...._ _That being said, you’ve got potential. I can see that now. So, I want you to…. ya know….. Keep looking after Natsumi for me, ok? If you can swear by that, then you can get a_ **_few_ ** _respect points from me.”_

Hajime skeptically wondered to himself where he could possibly cash in these precious “Fuyuhiko respect points,” but he didn't press the issue. 

_“I can do that”_ he said, reaching out his hand. Fuyuhiko hesitantly looked at his hand and then clasped it in a manly hand shake, almost as if they were arm wrestling. He gripped Hajime’s hand a little painfully, to show he meant business. 

_“I’ll hold you to that, Hajime. I’ll be counting on you. So you better not fuck it up.”_ Hajime could feel a subtle bond growing between him and the young gangster to be.

\------------

Hajime unlocked the door to his dorm. It felt like he had been gone for years. He creaked it open and stepped inside. The dorm room felt considerably smaller than before. He carried his bags into the bedroom and tossed them onto his bed. He put a cast iron teapot on the burner in the kitchen and then lounged on his couch, waiting for it to boil. He pulled out his phone. Sure enough he had a few texts from Natsumi.

 **“Ugghhh. Soo much to unpack.... >.>” ** \- 6:46PM

 **“Maybe you could come over here and do it for me >:}” ** \- 6:50PM

Hajime rolled his eyes, at the crassness of this girl.  **“Not gonna happen. Besides, what would your brother think?”**

 **“Think of what???”** \- 7:12PM

 **“You inviting me to your room. I don't think Fuyuhiko would like it.”** There was a pause. She didn't text back for a few minutes

 **“Get your head out of the gutter, idiot. It was a joke anyway”** \- 7:15PM

Hajime smirked and began checking other things on his phone, while he was waiting for his tea. He checked things like the weather for the week, app updates, news. Then he got another text from Natsumi.

 **“So what do you think about me?”** \- 7:17PM

Hajime was taken a little off guard by the sudden question. What was that supposed to mean? Leave it to a teenage girl to send cryptic text messages. He wasn’t sure how to respond, so he typed up something quick. 

 **“I think you’re texting me to avoid having to unpack your things”** He quipped. And waited for a response from Natsumi.

 **“Stop being an asshole. I'm serious”** \- 7:20PM

Hajime paused and stared at the text for a few moments. What had gotten into her? Hajime thought for a few moments and gave his best reply.

**“I don’t know. You’re probably the craziest girl I have ever met. But for some reason I think I’ve gotten used to you. Does that answer your question?”**

He sent the message and waited for a response, which took a few long moments.

 **“Yes”** **-** 7:23PM

 _“That's it?”_ He muttered to himself.

 **“So are you going to tell me what you think about me too?”** He asked, waiting to hear back from her. It was only fair for her to give him an honest response as well. Plus he was a little curious.

 **“I need to unpack. Ill talk to you tomorrow”** **-** 7:24PM

Typical Natsumi. He should have expected no less from her.  **“Fine. By the way, I had a great time this week. It was a blast.”**  
  
Natsumi smiled at her phone.

 **“I did too. You better come with us next year”** **-** 7:25PM

That is what Natsumi’s last message of the night read as. Hajime set his phone down just as he heard a hissing noise. ( _Shit!_ ). He jumped up and quickly ran to the kitchen, as the water had been boiling over for a while now. He took it off the stove hastily. He brewed his tea and returned to the living room. He looked down at his phone, sitting on the small coffee table. Natsumi’s words resonated in his head.

_“Come with us next year.”_

He also thought back to his promise to Fuyuhiko, to stay by Natsumi’s side, as well as Pekos words to him.

“ _Other people are going to be counting on you, especially Natsumi.”_

He picked up his phone and dialed a number from his contacts. He hoped that the person would still be awake and available to talk. He really needed to settle this issue right now. Finally, he got through. An old man’s voice could be heard on the other end. 

_“Is that you, Mr Hinata? I wasn’t expecting a call at this hour”_ He said with a chuckle. Hajime sighed with relief. 

_“I’m glad that I was able to catch you before you went to sleep. I need to tell you something and I didn’t want to wait until morning.”_

_“Is that a jab at my age?”_ Tengan asked, teasingly. _“I may be old, but trust me. My vitality is still in tip top shape. But I’m sure you weren’t calling to check up on my health. I'm guessing it's about the project. Do you finally have an answer for the school board?”_ He asked, casually.  

 _“I do have an answer, and I'm sorry to say it’s “no”……… Actually I'm not sorry. I'm standing by my answer and it's final. I don’t need what the Izuru project offers. I’m going to figure things out for myself. The school board is going to have to find a different subject”_ He said, confidently.

 _“And do you plan on leaving the Hope’s Peak reserve course? If so, I can still get you that refund. I can pull a few strings”_ Tengan offered generously, not even questioning Hajime’s decision or trying to sway him.

" _Actually I’m gonna stay.”_ Hajime responded.  

 _“Really? I didn’t expect that. Are you sure that’s what you want?”_ Tengan asked. 

 _“Yeah. I have my reasons.”_ He said, as his mind once again drifted towards Natsumi.

 _“If that’s your decision, you are welcome to it. The school board will be displeased by this. It’ll probably set the project back a year or two, but I promise they wont hound you about it any further. Farewell Mr Hinata. I wish you luck.”_ He said respectively, dismissing himself from the conversation and hanging up.

The decision turned out to be an easy one, laughably so. The Izuru project held no appeal for him anymore. He didn't want what it offered. He had new goals and desires. They weren't lofty or world shaping, but they were **his** . He had connections to new people. They weren't angels or saints, but they were **his** friends. Above all else, leaving Natsumi’s side at this point just seemed unthinkable.

\------------

The next morning, Hajime was able to sleep in a little later than usual. Peko had told him that he could have a day off, to unwind and let his body recover and rebuild muscle. She also gave him a list of groceries to purchase. They were foods high in protein and healthy carbs, and she also gave him a daily diet regiment. She told him that proper nutrition and protein intake were just as important as the exercise itself. He whipped out his phone and opened up the app for his bank account, just to be sure he could afford all this stuff. Then he saw something that floored him. Just yesterday, his checking account had received a deposit of 150,000 Yen. This had to be some kind of mistake. That was far more than his monthly stipend or the occasional support from his parents back home.

( _Wait a minute. Could it be….._ )

Hajime thought back to the letter he had received from the Oyabun, weeks ago. It stated that he would be paid a salary for “looking after” Natsumi during her time at Hope’s Peak. Perhaps this is what he was referring to. It appeared that he was being paid, simply to stay by Natsumi’s side and undertake the added duties of personal training that went along with it. It wasn’t a bad deal. Hajime felt more than a little uneasy about accepting that kind of money from a criminal organization, but he had to admit that it would help him substantially. He decided to think upon it more, later. He grabbed his bags and headed out the door.

\------------

Once again Hajime sat with Natsumi in their own little corner of the cafeteria. Hajime was chewing away at his food, while Natsumi fiddled with her udon noodles, resting her cheek on her fist. She looked immersed in thought, distracted from the task at hand. Eventually she spoke up.

 _“Hajime…. What are we doing right now?”_ She asked, blankly.  

 _“Uhh, eating lunch in the cafeteria…… are you on something?”_ Hajime asked, snidely, while he continued eating. 

 _“I mean, what’s going on with our plans? Didn’t we both agree that we wanted to get into the main course? We haven't talked about it at all, in, like, forever. So what’s the deal, dammit?”_ She asked, stirring her udon around in frustration. Hajime paused for a moment and looked away. He honestly hadn’t even thought about the main course in what felt like ages, not since the Sato incident. There was just so much more on his mind. Hajime came to a realization in that moment. He turned to Natsumi and said two words.

_“Fuck it”_

Natsumi was shocked, both at hearing Hajime curse out loud and also him giving her such a blunt response. It was so confident and fearless. What had gotten into him? 

 _“W-what?... Wha.…….. what did you say?”_ She stammered in response.

 _“You heard me. Fuck the main course. You don’t need it. I don’t need it. Haven’t you figured that out by now?”_ He responded bluntly, staring into her eyes with unwavering determination. 

 _“D-don't tell me what I need or don't need! How can you even say that? It’s the whole reason we both entered this bullshit reserve course to begin with! Its why we’re here!”_ She yelled, standing up angrily, pointing her finger down at him.

Hajime crossed his arms and didn’t back down. He just stared up at her, calm and collected. 

 _“We were wrong, Natsumi. That’s all there is to it. It’s time for us to grow up.”_ He said, as Natsumi clenched her fists and seethed with anger. She stared down at him with malice and contempt, but then Hajime noticed something. She had tears welling up in her eyes. She stood there, growing more and more upset.

 _“What are you talking about?! Grow up, my ass!..... You’re just a washout! A quitter!”_ She cried out, as she quickly covered her face with her sleeve. _“Whatever I don't need your help! I’ll get into the main course without you! Idiot!”_  
  
Hajime expected more swear words, but they never came. Natsumi just grabbed her bag and ran off, leaving Hajime there, alone. Half the cafeteria was staring at him and mumbling to each other. Hajime naturally knew the rumor on the street would be that he had broken Natsumi’s heart or something. They could talk all they wanted. Natsumi needed to hear this. She didn't talk to him in between classes, as she usually did. She had a sour, pouty look on her face the entire rest of the afternoon. He watched Natsumi sulk during the lecture. She looked over at him, making eye contact for a brief moment before she turned away, angrily. She was clearly still upset with him. Hajime thought it would be best to avoid her for a bit and let her blow off some steam. On his way out, he didn’t see her. She must have grabbed her things and rushed out. Hajime shrugged inwardly and headed downstairs.

Once he arrived outside he saw Natsumi standing by the gate. She had her bag over her shoulder and she was standing with her arms crossed. He approached her cautiously and she looked up at him, with tired eyes. Hajime stopped in front of her and they locked eyes for a moment. Neither of them said anything for a few long seconds. 

 _“Do you have something to say?”_ Hajime asked, bluntly. Natsumi made a “tch” noise, with an annoyed scoff on her face, but it faded away and she looked more dejected than anything. She mumbled discreetly. 

 _“Yeah…….”_ she trailed off, as the sound of laughing, chattering students echoed from across the street. Natsumi stood there clutching her arm. _“I’ve been thinking about what you said…. About hope’s peak and everything.”_

 _“Oh. So you’ve made a decision?”_  Hajime responded.

 _“I'm getting that. Don't fucking interrupt me”_ she grumbled. 

 _“......Maybe you were right, ok? Maybe it's impossible for us to get into the main course and we are just wasting our time obsessing over it. But if that’s true, then what are we supposed to do?”_ She said, as her voice began to waver. She covered her eyes with her sleeve again, angrily gritting her teeth and holding back tears.

“ _If we’re giving up, There is no reason for either of us to stay here and….. there's no reason for us to see each other”_

Hajime stood there and clenched his fists. He felt an fiery emotions welling and bubbling inside him. He walked up to Natsumi and placed his hands on her shoulders. 

_“No! Thats wrong! I'm not going anywhere and I don’t want you to go anywhere either, Natsumi!”_ Natsumi looked up at him, startled. Her cheeks were flushed red and she looked flustered. She hated how he made her feel vulnerable and exposed like this. Why was it always him? She sniffled slightly, wiping her nose with her sleeve while backing away from Hajime, who released her shoulders. 

_“Do you actually mean that?”_

_“Of course I do. Being with you has really… changed me. Its changed the way I look at things. I feel like…. I'm stronger because I met you.”_ Natsumi blushed in response to this, awkwardly toying with her bangs, unsure of what to say. 

 _“You say the most embarrassing things...….”_ she mumbled, looking away from him. She leaned backwards against the concrete wall that encircled the school. She slid down so that she was sitting on the ground, clasping her arms around her legs.  _“So, what now? You tell me, Hajime, cuz I've got no clue”_

Hajime gave her a warm, comforting smile. 

_“Whatever we want. We aren’t ultimate talented students, and we never will be. But there’s nothing wrong with that. That just means we can do whatever we want. We can make our own goals and go wherever life takes us and do it together.”_ Natsumi looked at him, baffled speechless. She felt this heavy pain in her chest and a strange dizziness when she looked at him. What was this? It had been creeping up on her for a long time now. It always flared up when he was around. Why did he do this to her? His words had a way of cutting through her like nothing ever had.

 _“Set our own goals, huh?.... I'm not even sure where to begin with that…… Hajime, be honest. if you could change anything about me, what would it be?”_ She asked, looking up at him. Hajime thought about it for a moment. There was quite a long list. Many things came to mind. Manners, etiquette, language, patience, empathy. There was one thing that stood above the others. 

_“I would like it if you smiled more”_  
  
_“W-what? What the fuck kind of answer is that?”_ She asked, blushing furiously. 

 _“I don’t mean those smug grins you always do, or those fake smiles you hide behind when people piss you off. I’m talking about when you are genuinely happy. I would like to see that more often.”_ Natsumi looked at him with a raised eyebrow and a grimace of apprehension. Hajime could see she was incredibly embarrassed by this. She looked away from him, pouting.

_“Whatever.... I guess I can do that. Even though it sounds retarded”_

_“Also your people skills are going to need work. But we can work on that together.”_ He said, reaching down to take her hand and help her up. Natsumi couldn’t take her eyes off him. She could feel that pain in her chest again. It felt like something was constricting her. She reached out her hand and Hajime yanked her to her feet. Natsumi held onto his hand tightly as he pulled her up. She stood in front of him for a moment, the clear traces of blush still on her cheeks. She looked up into his eyes and took a step closer to him. She kept her gaze locked with his.

 _“Hajime. Close your eyes, ok?”_ she told him, calmly, almost whispering it. Hajime complied, slowly shutting his eyes. He then felt something very warm press against his chest. He had felt it before. Natsumi wrapped her arms around him and ensnared him in a tight hug, resting her face against his chest. She could barely make out the sound of his gentle heartbeat. Hajime instinctively hugged her back, holding her in his arms. It was so strange. Natsumi never came off as the hugging type. She was the least huggable person that he knew. But here she was, clinging to him, as if she was afraid he would float away. Finally she let go and stepped away. 

_“You can open your eyes now”_ she muttered. When he opened his eyes she was turned away from him, so he couldn't see her face. She was blushing crimson.

 _“I’ll see you later”_ she blurted out before she walked off at a brisk pace, leaving Hajime with a smirk of satisfaction on his face.


	10. Chapter 10

The next day, Hajime noticed that Natsumi’s behavior was different than usual. It was in the way she carried herself. She didn’t have quite as much of a snide demeanor. She didn’t snap at anyone. She didn’t butt heads with any of the girls in class or give the teacher any of her usual sass. She was acting how most people would consider normal. Perhaps she had taken Hajime’s advice to heart. He didn’t ask her about it until it was time for lunch. Hajime got there before her and Natsumi strolled in sluggishly. She looked tired and annoyed. She took a seat across from Hajime and planted her face in her arms.

 _“Ugh… you better appreciate this”_ she mumbled.

 _“Uh… appreciate what?”_ Hajime asked, skeptically. Natsumi looked up at him glaring.

 _“You know what! I've been on my best behavior all day and it’s fucking exhausting dealing with these idiots. Its gonna give me a brain aneurysm.”_ She moaned. Hajime scratched his head and chuckled nervously. If just restraining herself from being actively rude and abrasive was this difficult for her, she clearly had a long way to go in her rehabilitation. 

 _“Well, don't wear yourself out yet.  I’ve got my own set of tasks… er, more like “ideas” that could help you to improve your people skills”_ He said, pulling out a piece of paper. Natsumi looked up suspiciously.

“ _Oh great. I can hardly contain my excitement_ ” She grumbled sarcastically, reaching for the paper. Hajime jerked it away out of her reach.

_“Woah, this is for my eyes only. I don't think you should read the whole thing at once. Lets just focus on one thing at a time. We can start simple.”_

Natsumi looked at him with annoyed, puffed out cheeks and then crossed her arms, pouting. _“Fine. Whatever”_

 _“Ok, the first thing on the list is for you to make a female friend.”_ He announced, which made Natsumi grimace angrily. 

_“Hey! what are you implying? That I couldn’t make a friend if I wanted to? "_ she asked, clearly insulted. _"I'm not some kind of degenerate loser who can’t even make a single friend! Geez!”_ She huffed angrily. 

 _“Well, do you have any friends, besides me?”_ Hajime pried, which made Natsumi’s expression change drastically. She began sweating and she had an awkward grin on her face. 

 _“Wh-what? Of c-course I do! Theres…. Um….. well….. Er…… Mahiru?”_ She blurted the first name that came to her mind. Hajime facepalmed and sighed. 

_“You two_ **_hate_ ** _each other. What are you talking about?”_ he groaned.

Natsumi blushed and corrected herself. _“T-that was a joke. I was just messing with you. But really, I totally have friends…. Oh! I just remembered! There is the chick from our class that I see at the pool a lot. We’ve talked a few times”_ She recalled. Hajime perked up. This sounded much more promising.

 _“Ok, that sounds better. What do you guys talk about?”_ He asked, while Natsumi dug through her memory to recall. 

_“Hmm, I think I made fun of her kiddy bathing suit. And that washboard she has for tits. And I politely asked her to get out and let me use her swimming lane.”_ Natsumi said casually while Hajime looked like the life had been sucked out of him. 

 _“That…..  Isn’t even close to friendship”_ he muttered aloud. This was going harder than he imagined, but then he honed in on a different detail. 

_“Wait. I didn’t know that you like to swim.”_ Natsumi smirked and crossed her arms. _“Of course I do. How do you think I maintain my rockin figure?”_ She gloated with an arrogant grin. 

 _“Well, at least you and this other girl share a similar interest. So that's something. It might not be too late to salvage this.”_ Hajime exclaimed, pounding his fist down on the table. He stood up and pointed at Natsumi with his finger. _“Your mission, Lady Kuzuryu, is to make friends with washboard girl! Failure is not an option!”_ he said dramatically in a mocking voice. Natsumi flushed angrily. 

_“Ok ok! Sit down, you jackass. You’re making a scene!”_

\------------

The time had come. It was nearing the end of the day. Natsumi would make her move soon. She looked over at Hajime for approval. He gave her a reassuring nod and she responded with a look that said

 _“I really don't want to do this.”_ She got up out of her desk and walked over to where a girl with brown hair and a yellow hoodie was sitting. Her name was Aiko Umesawa. She had a petite body and was nowhere near as well endowed as Natsumi, however she wasn't a “washboard” as Natsumi antagonistically described her as. Her most notable feature was that she had a rare genetic trait known as Heterochromia, which made her left eye green and her right eye blue. Most people assumed it was a contact lense, but she was actually born that way. As Natsumi approached her, Aiko looked up at her with fear, and then darted her eyes from side to side to see if maybe Natsumi was coming over to talk to someone else.

 _“Sup, Aiko. I just wanted to have a little chat”_ Natsumi said with her natural dominating bravado and a snide grin on her face that was just natural for her at this point. Aiko looked up at her and almost shrunk into her desk. 

 _“W-what do you want, N-Natsumi?”_ She asked, practically shivering with fear. 

 _“I’m glad you asked.”_ Natsumi said, resting her hand casually on Aiko’s desk, locking her arm and leaning on it, which made her hover over Aiko, dominantly. 

_“I just thought we could get to know each other better.”_ She said, as shivers went up Aiko’s spine.

 _“D-do you want money? Is that it? Here! Take it all, please!”_ she said, taking a wallet out of her bag and pulling out cash. Murmurs could be heard throughout the classroom, people whispering to each other things like

_“Oh my god, is she shaking down Aiko?”_

_“Thats brutal!”_

_“I know, right! Poor girl.”_

_“That’s low, even for her”_

Natsumi could hear them and she clenched her fist, angrily. She slammed her hand on the desk angrily.

 _“No, I don't want your goddamn money! Cut it out! I just thought maybe we could hang out together. You know, maybe go to the park or a movie. I dunno, whatever people do these days”_ Natsumi explained. As she said this, Aiko’s face paled and she backed as far away as she could in her seat.

 _“W-what?…...Oh no……. don’t tell me you’re…. like **"**_ ** _that"_ ** _….. I'm sorry... I can't. I have a boyfriend! Please!”_ She pleaded, tears welling up in her eyes. Natsumi was stunned for a moment, trying to comprehend this. 

_“Eh?....”_ she responded in confusion. Then the murmuring began once again.

_“Holy shit! Is Natsumi trying to steal Aiko’s innocence?”_

_“I had no idea she was into that!”_

_“Shouldn’t somebody do something?”_

_“I had no idea she was such a deviant.”_  
  
_(So this is what a train wreck looks like)_ Hajime thought to himself as he watched the disaster unfold.

 _“P-please Natsumi. If… if I show you these, will it be enough?”_ Aiko asked as she reached down to begin pulling up her skirt, to show Natsumi her panties. Natsumi had finally put the pieces together and she blushed deep red. She angrily shouted. 

 _“What? No! Stop doing that! What the fuck’s wrong with you!? I don't want anything nasty like that! Just listen to the words that are coming out of my-”_ she stopped in mid sentence because Aiko had her hands covering her face and was crying. Natsumi stood there with her mouth agape and her finger raised, but no words were coming out.

One of the other girls rushed over to Aiko, comforting her and putting her hands on her shoulders. 

_“Its ok, Aiko. Nobody is going to hurt you….”_ she said before angrily turning to Natsumi. _“What the hell is wrong with you, Natsumi? Do you think you’re cool, picking on a helpless girl like this? You’re a monster!”_

Natsumi clenched her fist and glared daggers down at the girl who insulted her. 

_“W-what did you say to me you bit-!........”_ she trailed off as she looked around and realized that everyone was glaring at her. The room had turned its attention to her and she was receiving piercing stares from everyone in the room, except for Hajime. He had a distressed look on his face, powerless to stop the spiraling situation. He had been trying to gesture with his hands for Natsumi to abort the mission for a while now, but she hadn’t noticed.

 _“You think that just because your family is powerful you can treat people like shit!?”_ The girl stood up and scolded Natsumi. Another guy stepped in.

_“Yeah, she’s been looking down her nose at us since she got here.”_

_“Like she has any fuckin right to. Whatever happened to that all talk of getting in the main course? She’s just a blowhard.”_

_“Everyone is sick of you Natsumi. Just get out of here before you cause any more damage”_ The girl said, putting her hands on her hips, while Aiko was still sniffling.

Natsumi stood there, paralyzed. Normally she had no fear in dealing with people, telling them off, or verbally battling with them, but now everyone was united against her. She couldn’t stand up to this. She froze up, almost in a trance, as they lambasted her. She felt her vision blurring with salty tears. She simply turned from them and ran out of the room, to which some of the students cheered. Hajime sprung from his desk and made his way through the crowd of students. He finally made it outside, but he didn't see her anywhere. He made a quick sweep of the current floor, to see if he could find her.. Hajime silently cursed himself under his breath.  

( _I should have known this would all go to shit! Why did I think this would work? Dammit! I gotta find her!)_

He dashed through the halls. He had only one idea where she might be. He went up the stairs and made his way to the same place he and Natsumi had talked before. There she was, sitting against the wall with her legs curled up, burying her lower face against her knees. She could be heard seething and breathing heavily and her eyes were puffy and red.

 _“Hey…. are you ok?”_ He asked her, reaching out his hand towards her. She hid her face from him and didn’t respond. Hajime adjusted his collar awkwardly and leaned up against the wall, standing next to her. The sun could be seen descending in the distance. It was just beginning to set, casting a glowing orange light on them. 

_“Look…. Things got really outta hand back there. That part wasn’t totally your fault. We had do expect that things might be a little rough at first”_  
  
_“It’s always like this”_ Natsumi mumbled, dejectedly. It was hard for Hajime to hear her at first because she hid her face. 

_“What? What did you say?”_ he asked, leaning over.

 _“It’s always been like…. Like this”_ she struggled to get out, holding back her tears of anger and pain. _“Ever since I was a kid. They all looked at me different.”_ She seethed through her teeth as she flashed back to her first days in elementary school.

_"Even when I was in kindergarten, the other kids knew about who I was. Their parents told them to stay away from me. Who would want their kid going over to play at the "scary Yakuza family"s house or become friends with a future criminal? I don't know what their parents told them, but ill never forget how they looked at me. The fear in their eyes. Soon they stopped looking at me at all. They just pretended I wasn't there. I was invisible to everyone.... except my brother. Every day I would come home from school and he would be there for me. He would ask me about my day and we would play with toy guns in the back yard. He was so cool and confident. He taught me one thing above everything else. He taught me not to take any shit or disrespect from anyone. That is why I wanted to stay by his side forever. So, I changed myself. I wasn't going to sit alone in the corner anymore. I was gonna give these brats something to be afraid of. I started pushing them around. I started scaring the shit out of them and making them give me stuff. It was easy and it felt so good. I didn't care if they hated me, anymore. They were just going to do that anyway. At least I could make them respect me.  That's all I needed, and that has gotten me where I am today. So why bother changing now?"_

Hajime stood there silently as he listened to Natsumi agonizingly recall her childhood experiences. At last Hajime was finally able to better understand who Natsumi was and why she acted the way she did. In the end, she was still that same little child, lashing out at others out of loneliness and fear. 

 _“Do you get it yet, Hajime? If they want a monster, then that is what they are gonna get!”_ She whimpered through her gritted teeth. 

_“To hell with all of them! They are just a bunch of bottom feeders! I don't need them, anyway! I hate them s-so..... f-fucking much! ”_ She sobbed bitterly. Hajime knelt beside her and placed his hand on her head, gently patting it. She looked up at him with surprise. He could see her bloodshot, tear-filled eyes.

 _“W-what the hell are you doing?”_ She asked him, grumpily.

 _“You’re not a monster, Natsumi. Trust me on that. You cry way too much to be any kind of monster.”_ He said with a glib smile. Natsumi blushed and scowled at him a bit. 

 _“Seriously. Things aren’t as bleak as you think. If you open up to people, they will accept you. You need to have more faith in people. They aren't all out to get you. I know it's not gonna be easy-_ ” He was interrupted as she pushed away his hand angrily. 

 _“And what the hell do you know? How do you expect to get these people to like me? It’s never gonna happen, so just forget about it!”_ she snapped at him, in a petulant tone.

Hajime leaned down didn’t give up. He gently put his hand on her shoulder. 

_“Well, I got to know you. And I like you, Natsumi. So, I know they will too, if you just give it time. I promise.”_ Natsumi looked away. Her face looked as if she was coming down with a fever. 

_“Yeah, well it’s a little too late for that. I already royally fucked it up the first time,” she mumbled in response.  
_

Hajime pondered for a moment, how they could come back for a second strike.

_“Maybe we went about things wrong. We might need to take some other steps first. We want them to understand how you feel, but that’s a two way street. You have to understand how they feel too. From their perspective, you’ve been nasty to them since day one. You are going to have to walk that back. You are going to need to empathize with them a little and show them that you’ve turned over a new leaf, before you start trying to make friends. That is why Aiko reacted the way she did. She had every reason to believe you would be trying to hurt her.”_

Natsumi listened to him, but had a perplexed look on her face. 

 _“So what exactly do you think I should do about that? What are you getting at?”_  
  
_“You probably aren’t gonna like it, but I think it’s something we have to do.”_ He said, reaching his hand out to Natsumi, to help her up. She looked at him with reluctance and doubt, but also a hint of admiration. She reached out her hand to take his.

\------------

The next day, students poured into class as usual. Hajime waited out in the hall for Natsumi to arrive. She finally appeared and shuffled up to him, looking at the ground and grumbling angrily to herself. She looked up at Hajime with a pouty face and bit her lip. 

 _“Are you ready for this?”_ Hajime asked, attempting to give her a reassuring smile.

 _“Fuck off. You already know the answer to that question”_ she responded cynically. _“Lets just get it over with.”_ She growled as they waited for the other students to enter. Once the classroom was full they both took a deep breath and walked in. Natsumi and Hajime walked to the front of the class and then Hajime cleared his throat.

 _“Excuse me, everyone. I would like to have your attention for just a moment, please. Natsumi has something she wants to say to you all. Please give her your attention”_ he said before walking off to his desk, leaving Natsumi standing there. He gave her a thumbs up, but she just looked at him in mortification and apprehension. She looked around at the class, as their eyes were all on her, drilling into her. She felt her heart thumping wildly in her chest, but she pulled herself together.

 _“Hey. I've got something to say to you all. I…. I'm only going to say this once, so pay attention,”_ She said, as the whole class watched her closely, most of them with looks of disapproval or suspicion. Some of the girls looked a little scared. Natsumi sighed and continued. 

 _“I’ll be honest. Ever since I got here…. I’ve been pretty shitty to you guys. I insulted you all and disrespected everyone. I wont sugarcoat it. I’ve been a total jerk, and that’s why…. I would like to apologize to everyone. None of you know it, but I'm really trying to get better. From now on, Natsumi Kuzuryu is turning over a new leaf. I…. hope that you can forgive me and we can start over.”_  
  
She said taking a humble bow, which nearly floored the class. A few of the girls gasped and there could be murmurs heard throughout the room. Natsumi looked around the room and then walked back to her seat. Everyone could hardly believe what they had just seen. Natsumi glanced at Hajime nervously, who gave her a big thumbs up. Natsumi’s cheeks reddened as she looked at her desk, smiling. It was the kind of smile that Hajime was looking for. Right now, all he wanted was protect that smile.

The day finally came to a close, as the ending bell rang. Everyone began packing their things and heading out. Natsumi was packing up all her books and folders when she felt a tug on her sleeve. She looked over and there stood the petite, yellow hooded girl from earlier. The ears on her hood seemed to perk up as Aiko looked up at her. 

 _“N-natsumi… I'm sorry about the other day. I didn’t know you were trying to be friends with me. I made a big scene and made everyone upset at you. Please forgive me”_ She said, worriedly bowing to Natsumi. Natsumi raised her hands in protest. 

_“Woah woah! You don't need to bow to me. It’s all good. I’d rather just forget that it ever happened”_

Aiko smiled and placed her hands together.

 _“I agree. Lets just try to move forward. If you're still open to the idea, I wouldn’t mind being your friend, Natsumi.”_ She said, with sincerity. Natsumi stared at her in amazement. She had never experienced anything like this before. The waves of kindness coming off this small girl overwhelmed her. Natsumi didn't know how to react to this. She blushed awkwardly and scratched her head. 

_“Sure, that…. uh…. sounds good”_ she responded.  

 _“I’ve seen you at the pool a lot. We should go together. You’re really fast! Have you been swimming a while?”_ Aiko asked her, excitedly. Natsumi smirked proudly and crossed her arms. 

_“Yeah. The home I grew up in had a huge indoor pool, so I went swimming practically every day as a kid.”_ She bragged. Aiko stared at her wide eyed in awe. 

_“That’s sooo cool. I always wanted one as a kid!”_

Hajime got up out of his seat and quietly slipped away, as the two conversed together. He smiled contently to himself as he walked through the halls. He had a creeping sense of optimism coming over him. His first mission was a success, after all.

\------------

A few weeks later, it was time to implement the next step in Hajime’s plan. He and Natsumi had taken a taxi into town and arrived at a small building, near the outskirts of the city. 

 _“When are you going to tell me what this is all about. It better be good for you to drag me out here”_ Natsumi complained. Hajime paid the driver and they stepped out of the vehicle. The air outside was cold and brisk, as fall was beginning to arrive. Natsumi looked up at the sign on the building, which was shaped like a giant dog bone. The sign read “Animal Shelter and Intensive Care.” Natsumi was baffled for a moment.

 _“What is this? Are you sure this is the right place?”_ She asked Hajime, with a questioning look.  
  
_“Yup. Come on inside. I’ve got something to show you”_ He said, leading her into the building. Once they arrived inside there was a strong, unpleasant smell in the air which was difficult to get used to. It was obvious a lot of animals were kept here. The sound of dogs could be heard in the kennel area, elsewhere in the building. The building was divided into sections for various animal types, including hamsters and rodents. Shortly after they entered, a teenage boy walked into the room. He had a strange hairdo and makeup. He looked like he should be on his way to heavy metal concert. He wore gaudy, clothes that looked like they belonged in some kind of anime. In contrast to this, he also wore an apron, as it was required for volunteers at this facility. He spoke in an outlandish, melodramatic voice

 _“Ah, the prodigal son has finally returned. Just as it was foretold by the crimson haired siren of-”_ he said before being interrupted by Natsumi.

 _“What the hell are you supposed to be? Are you some kind of fuckin weirdo or something?”_ She asked rudely, looking him over with a look of confusion and disgust. 

 _“Ha ha ha! You are_ **_quite_ ** _the impertinent wench. Ordinarily, those who speak to the lord of darkness with such vulgarity and disrespect would find themselves trapped for a millennium in the fourth circle of hell. However, I can detect a powerful and intriguing aura coming from you, and thus I will spare your soul.”_ he said, in a proud and bombastic tone, crossing his arms.

 _“Wait… did you just call me a wench?”_ Natsumi asked, totally baffled by this boy’s behavior. 

 _“Let’s get out of here Hajime, this dude is on something!”_ she said, grabbing Hajime’s sleeve.

_“No, wait. Its alright, Natsumi. This guy is cool. He’s one of your brother’s classmates. His name is Gundham Tanaka. He’s the ultimate breeder.”_

_“In truth I am the ultimate scion of the 7th underworld, but the title of ultimate breeder is far more succinct, I suppose.”_ Gundham said, with a cartoonish cackle. Natsumi made a perturbed grimace at him as he spoke. Hajime attempted to retake the reigns of the conversation. 

_“So, Gundham. Mahiru said that you were looking for volunteers to help out around here, so I brought Natsumi along with me. We are ready to get started as soon as possible”_  
  
_“Splendid!”_ Gundham responded. “Take these mythril cloaks to shield yourselves whilst communing with the clawed behemoths of the underworld. They can be quite tenacious” He said, tossing them their aprons. 

 _“Hey hey, wait a minute! I didn’t agree to any of this! What the fuck is this Hajime?”_ She asked him, fuming and clutching the apron. Hajime sighed and attempted to reassure her.

 _“Don't worry. Just go with it. I think this might actually help you relieve some stress and you might learn a thing or two. Just trust me, ok?”_ He said, as Natsumi looked away and grumbled to herself. The two of them put on their aprons and tied them in the back.

 _“The felines of the apocalypse are in dire need of your attention. They haven't been unshackled from their dimensional prisons for a while now. They must be allowed to roam free and expend their raw dark energy, lest they become restless and feral, unleashing a thousand years of pestilence and wanton destruction on this planet.”_ Gundham explained before Natsumi butted in. 

 _“Yeah yeah, we get it. We have to look after a bunch of cats and clean up their hairballs and shit. You don't need to make it into a fuckin novel”_ she said as she stormed off towards the room, with Hajime close behind.

as soon as they entered, there was a chorus of “meow”s coming from the cages that lined the walls. Hajime closed the door behind them. It was a wide open room with cat trees, scratching posts, and toys strewn about. The cats clawed at their cages and whined. Natsumi bent over and looked at one of the cages that contained a little black kitten. She couldn’t stop staring at it. It was just too adorable. Hajime interrupted her trance. 

 _“Ok, lets start letting them out.”_ Hajime said with a grin.

 _“Oh, right…... Whatever”_ Natsumi said as she began unhinging the cages. The cats hopped out and half a dozen of them immediately began swarming around Natsumi’s legs, meowing up a storm. They brushed up against her and rubbed their faces on her shins. Natsumi just stood there awkwardly, looking down at them. 

_“Ehhh….. There are a lot of these little bastards aren’t there?”_ She mumbled as she reached down to pet one of them. She managed to move over to a bench and take a seat. Immediately one of the cats, an orange and white one, hopped into her lap and curled up.

 _“W-what do you think you’re doing… you little shit”_ She asked, as she began to pet it on its head and ears. It began purring like a motorboat and a childish smile began to creep its way onto Natsumi’s lips. She didn’t even notice Hajime as he hovered over her.  
  
_“Pretty cute, huh?”_ He asked as she jumped a little at the sound of his voice, blushing slightly.

 _“Yeah, of course they're cute. Their fucking cats. What do you expect?”_ She grumbled as she continued to possessively pet the cat in her lap. There were other cats mewling and nuzzling against her legs, wanting their turn. She just had to pet them all. She began to don a blissful grin as she stroked them all and as they crowded around her. 

_“I know you're enjoying yourself, but we actually need to get some work done”_

Hajime interjected as Natsumi picked up the small, black kitten and held it out in front of her. She stared into its eyes. She was completely ignoring Hajime. 

 _“Hey.... Earth to Natsumi…. Snap out of it!”_ he said, waving his hand in front of her face. It snapped her out of her trance momentarily. 

_“Yeah yeah. I heard you! Geez! Just give a few minutes. You’re the one who dragged me here and you’re not even gonna let me have fun with the cats?”_ She complained, while she took the black kitten and cradled it against her body.

Hajime watched her caress and snuggle the little cat and he decided to just leave her be. He got to work cleaning out all the litter boxes, giving the cats fresh water and food, and changing the newspaper in their cages. Meanwhile, Natsumi seemed transfixed on that one cat. He approached her while she was holding it up to her face, letting it place its little paws on her cheeks and nose. 

_“You know, all these cats need a home. I’m sure Gundham would be happy if you took one of them with you.”_ he suggested, to which her eyes lit up.

 _“Wait, really? I could just take one of them home with me?”_ she asked, with clear excitement in her voice, which she quickly tried to mute, out of embarrassment. “ _But… uh… do the dorms even allow pets?”_ She asked, trying to sound disinterested. 

 _“Yup. They allow cats, but not dogs. They have to be indoor only, and house-trained of course.”_ He explained, as she couldn't take her eyes off the black cat, which was snuggling in her lap. She pet it slowly, on the back. The little thing was barely bigger than her hand. 

 _“But… you know. Pets are a lot of responsibility. And they cost money.”_ She mumbled, unconvincingly. Hajime shot her a sarcastic smirk. 

_“Oh yeah. I'm sure you of all people would have a really hard time paying for cat food.”_

Natsumi blushed and glared at him. _“If you want me to adopt him, just say it already”_

 _“That’s not my decision, Natsumi. Do you want to adopt him?”_ He responded, smugly. He could see the desire on her face. She had already grown attached to it. He could see it in her eyes. 

 _“...yes….”_ she said, quietly. _“Yes, ok? I wanna adopt him. Just wipe that smirk off your face”_ She said, holding the cat up and letting him rest on her breasts. The kitten kneaded them with his paws happily. Feedback could be heard, emanating from an intercom in the far corner of the room. A familiar voice could be heard. Gundham cleared his throat and spoke into the mic, from another room.

 _“Hearken to my voice, oh gate guardians of the netherworld. Your time in the realm of light hast expired and thus you must return to your unholy abodes, until called upon again.”_ For some reason, all the cats paid attention to his voice and they began scurrying back to their cages, as commanded. It was truly a bizarre sight. Mahiru had mentioned that Gundham had a way with animals and could communicate with them, but he never imagined it would look like this. This was the kind of talent that only ultimate students possessed. Even the black kitten in Natsumi’s arms wanted to run back to his cage as commanded, but Natsumi didn’t let him. _“_

 _Woah woah. Easy there tough guy. You gotta come with me, ok?”_ she spoke to the cat in a cutesy tone and then caught herself. She cast an embarrassed and wrathful stare at Hajime who was stifling a chuckle.

\------------

One the way back to the dorms, Natsumi had the kitten in a plastic carrying cage. It was freaking out a little, meowing up a storm. It didn’t like being in a moving car. Natsumi tried to calm it down and eventually it began to get sleepy and simply curled up in a corner of the box. It was fascinating for Hajime to watch Natsumi trying to comfort and calm down a kitten, as if it were her baby. “Caring” and “motherly” weren’t words he would use to describe Natsumi, normally.

 _“So, have you decided on a name for it, yet?”_ He asked, as she watched it carefully though the holes in the box. 

_“I think I’ll call him Joe”_ She said grinning to herself. 

 _“Huh?... Really? An American name? That’s an odd choice. Are you sure you wanna go with that?”_ He remarked, skeptically. 

 _“Of course! I’m naming him after Joe Pesci. I grew up watching American gangster movies with my brother. Joe Pesci is a total badass and so is this little guy.”_ She said, warmly smiling down at the kitten as he snoozed. Hajime didn’t press the issue anymore. If she wanted to name it Joe, then that was her decision.

\------------

Later, once Hajime was back in his dorm room, he decided to take it easy and give himself a well deserved break. It was the weekend after all. He flopped onto his bed and messed around on his phone, killing time with some games, including his favorite, addictive school idol game, which was a guilty pleasure of his. Half an hour later, he began to get a bombardment of text messages from Natsumi, attached with pictures.

 _ **“Joe is exploring his new home. I think he likes it”**   _ One of the text messages read, with a picture of the little cat wandering around.

Another picture showed Natsumi laying on her couch with the kitten perched on her breasts, resting on them. _**“I cant keep him off me. Joe just loves me so much >.<”** _she gloated. At first, the messages were pretty cute, but she just kept sending more, starting to border on obsessive and obnoxious. Hajime was starting to wonder if he had made a mistake.

 **_“He’s cute, but can you cool it with the pictures. You’re going to fill up my phone’s SD card”_ ** He texted, after having received nearly two dozen images.

 **_“Whatever. Youre just jealous of the kind of kinship me and Joe share. People without pets just can’t understand”_ ** She texted. Hajime could just imagine the smug tone of voice behind it.

( _You’ve had him for less than an hour_ )

He wanted to type that but he decided against he. He would let Natsumi have her fun. This was another important step for her. Hajime’s scheme was coming along nicely.

\------------

**Two Months Later**

The following months passed peacefully, almost too peacefully. Natsumi and Aiko often spent afternoons together, either swimming or just hanging out, which actually gave Hajime more days that he could spend with Chiaki after school. Hajime enjoyed just sitting back and watching things play out, for once. He continued his daily workouts with Peko and he was getting into noticeably better shape. His frame was more pronounced, his arms were thicker, and his leg muscles were more defined. Peko had even tutored him in combat some more. He was finally beginning to see some results from his monotonous training. He was seeing results in other aspects of his life as well. He actually began hanging out with Fuyuhiko occasionally. Sometimes him and a few of the other guys from the main course held poker nights. True, gambling was against school rules, but that just made it even more fun for Fuyuhiko to be the ringleader. Hajime may not have been a member of the main course, but at this point he was spending so much time with its members that he might as well be one himself. His plans for Natsumi were working better than he had anticipated. Natsumi’s attitude had significantly improved over the past few months. She was still sarcastic, smug, and abrasive at times, but compared to how she was when he first met her, the difference was night and day. She seemed more relaxed around other people. Her circle of friends had even expanded to some of Aiko’s friends. She was taking exceptionally good care of Joe, only feeding him the best cat food and buying him an excessive amount of toys. Natsumi was truly changing for the better. But now it was time to take the next step.

 _“Hell…. No. Not happening”_ Natsumi said flatly, with venom in her voice. The two of them were sitting in the cafeteria together and Natsumi had risen out of her seat, mid meal. 

_“There is no way I'm apologizing to that ginger bimbo. Not after her butt buddy tried to murder me. No way.”_ She said stubbornly. Hajime looked disconcerted, but he kept pressing. 

 _“That stuff happened a long time ago. I think it's time for you to put it to rest. You can bury the hatchet with Mahiru and both of you can put it behind you forever.”_ He explained, as Natsumi crossed her arms and looked at him with disgust.

 _“I already did put it behind me, Hajime! I don't have anything to say to her!”_ She grumbled, taking her seat again and scarfing down some of her food, angrily.

 _“Even you acknowledged that it was your fault…  You acknowledged it to me, but you never settled things with Mahiru.”_ He said, as Natsumi looked up at him with her mouth full of food. She chewed it a few times and gulped it down before clenching her fist on the table. But she took a few deep breaths and simmered her anger down a bit, before speaking. 

 _“Listen, Hajime. I’ve done everything you’ve asked me. I’ve been really trying my best. And I'll admit it. You’ve really helped me out a lot. I'm grateful for what you've done….. But I don't need to do this. I don't_ **_care_ ** _what Mahiru thinks of me. I don't need that bitch to like me, in order to be a good person.”_

 _“It’s not about that. It’s about doing what’s right. It’s about having enough self respect to admit that you were wrong and make peace. The Kuzuryu-gumi aren’t common thugs. They have a sense of honor and respect. You of all people shou-”_ He was interrupted as Natsumi slammed her balled up fist on the table, looking down and trembling with anger.  
  
_“Hajime…. I like you, but…. Don't you_ **_ever_ ** _try to hold my family name over my head like that…... You don't have the right to do that”_ She snarled through her teeth, in a serious tone. Hajime could sense the deadly rage that she was holding back. She was digging her nails into her palms so hard that they almost bled, but after a few moments she began to loosen them. She let her emotions settle and pass over her.

 _“You’re a real pain in the ass, sometimes, you know that?”_ she said with a sigh before locking eyes with Hajime. _“I'll do it”_ she said, before standing up abruptly and walking out. Hajime let out a sigh of relief as the tension finally dissolved. He could hardly believe that she had caved in. His words must have really hit a soft spot in the angsty teen girl. Now it was time to see if all the progress he had made with Natsumi had been worth it.

\------------

Mahiru waited by the stone fountain, where Hajime typically met with Chiaki. It was on a weekend and there were no other people nearby. It was the middle of november, and a chilly wind blew across the open courtyard. Mahiru was wearing a skirt and sweater, with leggings to keep warm. She also wore gloves and a green scarf. She sat on one of the benches and checked her watch. Hajime had texted her and told her to meet him here.

( _What could this be about?_ ) she wondered to herself.

( _Could he be planning to… confess to me?.... No! What the hell am I thinking? God, calm down Mahiru. It’s probably nothing too serious. But then, why wouldn’t he tell me what he wanted to talk about?_ ) her mind raced. She heard the sound of footsteps and looked up to see Hajime approaching her. She stood up and smiled, raising her hand to greet him, but then she saw someone walking behind him and her expression dropped. 

 _“Hey Haji-..... Wait a minute. What’s **she** doing here? What is this?” _ She asked, looking at Natsumi suspiciously and with a hint of fear. Natsumi looked back at her with somewhat of a scowl on her face, but it was different. There was a different aura to her. It lacked the confidence and menace that Mahiru was used to.

  
_“Sorry, I didn't tell you beforehand, but Natsumi has a few things to say to you,”_ He said, as Natsumi stepped forward, looking Mahiru in the eyes. There was heavy tension in the air already. Hajime looked back and forth between the both of them and smiled awkwardly.

“ _This is between you guys, so I don't wanna eavesdrop. I’ll go get myself a soda or something.”_ he said as he began to walk off. Mahiru called out to him. 

 _“W-wait! Hajime, are you sure…”_ She asked, looking at Natsumi nervously.

 _“It’ll be fine. Just trust me,”_ he said giving her a slightly goofy wink, before walking off. The redhead and the blonde girl stood there in silence for a moment, the only audible sound being the whistling fall wind. 

_“S-so what’s this about, Natsumi?”_ Mahiru asked, breaking the silence. Natsumi sighed and placed her hand on her forehead for a moment, mentally preparing herself.

 _“Look…. I know things have been pretty shitty between us. Even when we were kids.”_ Natsumi started, to which Mahiru reluctantly nodded. Her thoughts were

( _That’s a nice way of saying that you treated me like crap_ ) she thought, but she let Natsumi continue. 

 _“And… I gotta say…. You didn’t deserve it…. Like, at all. It wasn’t right, how I treated you”_ she said, looking away, unable to keep eye contact with Mahiru as she spoke. 

 _“Wait… what? What are you getting at, Natsumi?”_ she asked, deeply confused by what she was hearing. This wasn't the same Natsumi she grew up with. 

 _“I’m getting there!....... I’m trying to apologize to you, dammit”_ she grunted. The words hit Mahiru like a bag of hammers. It stunned her. She couldn't believe what was coming out of Natsumi’s mouth.

_“I’ve always made fun of you and pushed you around. You’ve had to go through a lot because of me and I don't expect you to forgive me. But I just needed to tell you this, ok? I'm sorry, Mahiru. I’m sorry for everything.”_

_“Is this some kind of… sick joke?”_ Mahiru asked, bewildered. 

 _“Trust me. It would be a pretty lame joke if it was. I'm telling you the truth. What I did to you was wrong and I trying to apologize.”_ Mahiru stood there in the cold, silently. She didn’t say a word in response. Her mitten covered hands were at her sides. She clenched them tightly and grit her teeth as Natsumi’s words sank in. She felt her head swimming with conflicting emotions. 

_“Why….”_ She mumbled softly. Natsumi was a bit perplexed her response. 

_“Uh… what?”_ she asked blankly

 _“Why Dammit?! Why now?! If you were capable of compassion this whole time, why didn’t you show any of it!? If you knew you were hurting me, why did you keep doing it….  for years!?”_ Mahiru screamed, as Natsumi could see she was crying. Natsumi was taken aback by this, and didn’t move as Mahiru walked up to her and grabbed her by her jacket. 

 _“You don't have any idea how much I've suffered because of you! how much Sato suffered because of_ ** _you_** _! So tell me why, Natsumi! Why did you do it?”_ Mahiru yelled. Natsumi was frozen, has she looked into Mahiru’s teary eyes. Their faces were close together and Mahiru was staring at her with an intensity she had never seen from the mild mannered redhead. It was in that moment that Natsumi felt tears welling in her eyes too.

 _“Because I was fucking jealous of you! Why do you think?!  When we were kids you were always the weak one. But once we got to middle school, all that changed. You got noticed by people. You had talent. You made new friends while I got_ **_nowhere_ ** _. I’m not supposed to be jealous of someone like you. I’m not supposed to be pitied by someone like you. But I fucking was. So if you want to know my reasons for hating you all these years, that’s it. My reasons are as shitty as they sound, but there you go. That’s the truth”_ She cried out, as hot tears rolled down her cheeks.

Then there was a loud smack. Mahiru delivered sharp slap to Natsumi’s face, leaving a red mark on her cheek. It snapped Natsumi back to her senses. She clutched her cheek, looking at Mahiru in shock. Mahiru stood there, composing herself and wiping her eyes, before staring at Natsumi with determination. Natsumi wondered if she was going to smack her again, but then Mahiru did something unexpected. She moved in close to Natsumi and wrapped her arms around her, hugging her. 

 _“If you were suffering, all you had to do was tell me. What you did to me was completely wrong, Natsumi. It was monstrous. And your reasons were completely vile, selfish, arrogant, evil…… But I forgive you.”_ She said as held Natsumi tightly in a warm embrace. Natsumi hugged her back tried her best to stop crying.

 _“But how can you say that? It can’t be that easy”_ Natsumi said softly, as Mahiru slowly loosened her hug and backed away. She looked at Natsumi with her best cheery smile, mired by puffy eyes and glistening cheeks.

 _“Why not? There’s already enough despair in this world. We don't need to add any more to it. We don't have to be enemies. I want to make a fresh start, just like you do. But there is still someone else you need apologize to.”_ She said, taking Natsumi’s hand. 

 _“Yeah… I know.”_ Natsumi said, understandingly. “ _I’m ready."_

\------------

Natsumi found herself walking through the halls of the Yoshigaraha Medical Treatment Center. It was one of the nation’s most esteemed mental health facilities, specializing in traumatized and damaged youth. This is where Sato had been undergoing psychological evaluations and therapy the past many months. It was court mandated and she was set to release at the end of the year. Natsumi and Mahiru made their way to her room. Mahiru knocked on the door and it opened almost instantly. Sato stood there, dressed in regular street clothes. She wore jeans and a white, flowery tanktop.  
  
_“Mahiru! I got your message. Please, come inside. I-........”_ Her pupils dilated as she saw Natsumi. She froze up for a moment. _“W-what the hell are you doing here?”_ she asked with intense hostility in her voice. Mahiru placed her hand Sato’s shoulder, assuring her. 

_“Its alright, Sato. I brought her with me for a reason. Just trust me, ok?”_ she said, as Sato still eyed Natsumi with suspicion and a hint of fear. 

_“Mahiru, I...... F-fine… You have five minutes, Natsumi”_ She said, as she led her inside. Natsumi looked around at the one bedroom setup that Sato had here. It definitely wasn't very spacious. It was barely a step above a cell.

 _“Why did you come here, Natsumi? Did you come to make fun of me? Perhaps to threaten my family? Just spit it out already. Don't waste my time”_ She said, curtly. Natsumi remained calm and looked at her seriously. 

 _“I didn’t come to do any of those things. I know you won’t believe it, but I actually came here…. To tell you I’m sorry.”_ She said, to which Sato made a look of disgust.

 _“You’re “sorry?” Oh. I see. So you_ **_did_ ** _come here to make fun of me. Just get the hell out of my sight, Natsumi”_ She said, angrily, as Mahiru looked at the both of them, nervously.

_“This isn’t a joke, Sato. I'm serious about this, so pay attention. I'm telling you that what I did was wrong. I’ve been a piece of shit to you and Mahiru, for years and there is no excuse for it. You guys didn’t deserve what I put you through. I understand that now. You gotta believe me.”_

Sato just scoffed. _“Yeah right! Like I should believe a single word that comes out of your mouth, Natsumi. Please. I know exactly what you are. You are an abusive, sneaky, hateful, sadistic monster and you always will be. I’ve heard enough. I want you out of here now.”_ Sato said as she began to walk over to her door, where she could call security. As she reached the door, she heard a thump and looked behind her. She looked down in shock. Natsumi was on the floor, with her forehead touching the wood. She had her palms flat on the floor, bent over in a bow of submissive prostration. Sato was stunned at this. This had to be some kind of weird dream. Natsumi maintained her bow as she pleaded to Sato.

 _“I’m not lying. I promise you, Sato. I mean every word that I say. I’m really sorry for all the problems I caused. I don't expect you to forgive me, but please accept my apology.”_ She said, respectfully, as she bowed to Sato. 

 _“This…. This has to be a fucking joke. There’s no way”_ Sato said as she stared in disbelief. Mahiru put her hand on Sato’s shoulder and nodded her head.

 _“Its true, Sato. I couldn't believe it either, but she came to me and we talked things out.”_ She said as Sato clenched her eyes shut and tightened her fist. 

_“This is Natsumi, we’re talking about here. She could just be trying to trick us or something”_

_“Why would she do that, after all this time? It wouldn't make any sense. Besides, don't you think it’s possible that people can change? What kind of hope is there in this world, if they cant?”_ Mahiru asked, with a warm smile. Then Natsumi interrupted. 

 _“Uhm… Can I stop doing this now?”_ She asked, as she was still in a face-down bow. Sato let out an annoyed groan and gestured at her. 

_“Get up already. You look like an idiot,”_ Sato said as Natsumi raised up to her knees, blushing brightly. She stood up and brushed herself off, trying to play things off and hoping that Mahiru and Sato never spoke of what they just saw. Sato looked into Natsumi’s eyes for a moment. It was as if they were locked in an intense staring contest. Mahiru looked at them nervously until Sato said something. 

 _“Natsumi…. I don't know what happened to you over the past few months and frankly I really don't care. I’ll be honest with you. I’m not like Mahiru. I’m not willing to just forget the past, like she is. In my eyes, what you did is just unforgivable.”_ She said, harshly. Natsumi grimaced a little, but she could take it. She should have expected this, to be honest. Sato was actually a lot calmer than she envisioned, considering the last time they saw each other Sato was trying to brutally murder her. Sato sighed and continued.  _“However, I’m willing to let this feud of ours officially end. Don't misunderstand me. We aren’t friends and we never will be. In fact, I don't ever want to see your face again, as long as I live.”_ She said with a hint of menace in her voice. “ _That being said…. I accept your apology. And I guess it’s only fair that I apologize too. You know. For trying to bash your head in.”_

Natsumi gave a wry smirk. 

_“I don’t think I can forgive that either, but I accept your apology. So I guess that makes us even”_ she said, looking a little smug. Sato actually smiled a bit too.

 _“I suppose it does. Now do me a favor and get the hell out of here.”_ she said. Natsumi and Mahiru began to make their way towards the door. But Sato stopped Mahiru before she left.

 _“Not you, Mahiru. Since you're here, we might as well talk a bit. I can brew us some tea.”_ She said, to which Mahiru nodded.

_“Sure. Sounds good”_

_“Uh, Mahiru…. You’re kinda my ride outta here. So, what the hell am I supposed to do?”_ Natsumi asked, awkwardly, standing outside the doorway. Sato just crossed her arms and smirked at her.

 _“I guess you’ll just have to wait in the lobby until we’re done”_ she said smugly to Natsumi. _“_

 _You know, Sato? You’re a real mean bit-”_ Natsumi didn’t get to finish her sentence because the door slammed close in front of her face.


	11. Chapter 11

  **1 Month Later**

 Hajime gazed out the window of the 747 Jet, as they were getting ready to take off. The sound of passengers chattering, and the low hum of the engine filled the cabin. Peko was standing in the isle helping Fuyuhiko put his luggage in the overhead compartment. Natsumi sat next to Hajime and had her arms crossed, deep in thought. All four of them were wearing formal clothes, in preparation for the gathering they would be attending. Hajime had bought a  new suit with some of the money he had been receiving from Natsumi’s father, as well as new shoes. He didn’t want to slack off on appearances, at a time like this. He noticed that he had gained some noticeable muscle mass and was able to fill a suit better than he had before. He looked older, more professional, and even a bit more manly.

 Fuyuhiko was also sharply dressed. Peko and Natsumi both looked surprisingly womanly. Peko wore a traditional black kimono, that really suited her demeanor. Natsumi wore a white party dress that showed off her shoulders. She had a coat over it at the moment, due to the chilly weather.. Natsumi had taken extra time to touch up her hair and she wore lipstick. She looked much more feminine and refined than Hajime was used to seeing her, but she had a bit of a frown on her face as she was lost in thought.

  _“Is something wrong?”_ Hajime asked her, breaking her concentration.

 _“No, I’m fine. You should be the nervous one. I mean you’re gonna to be meeting my father.”_ She said, as Hajime undeniably felt pangs of uneasiness about that prospect. 

 _“Its nothing to worry about. He was the one who invited me in the first place.”_ Hajime said, reassuring himself more than Natsumi. _“He’s been really generous towards me and I would like to thank him”_ Hajime said admiringly. Natsumi didn’t quite understand what he meant by that, but she let it slide.

 _“Whatever. Just don't do anything embarrassing or stupid. You should probably keep the talking to a minimum.”_ She warned.

 The plane began to take off and soon they were in the air, flying north to Sendai, which Hajime had heard was beautiful this time of year. He had never been there himself. They were going to attend the annual winter festival, which was financed by the public face of the Kuzuryu family. The festival lasted from Christmas to new years and was one of the city’s biggest events of the year. Both tourists and local families attended in droves.

Unlike the festival, which was open to the public, there was an extravagant Christmas Party held by the Kuzuryu family. It had a strictly exclusive guest list, of only the most powerful and influential people in the city. Thanks to Natsumi’s father, Hajime was a VIP guest to this event, but he didn’t feel prepared. The thought of being around all of those powerful businessmen, politicians and career criminals made his stomach tie into knots.

Upon landing in Sendai and checking out their luggage, the four of them were greeted by a group of three men in suits. They looked like they were straight out of a movie. They had a strong, menacing presence to them. They were outwardly calm, but Hajime could tell they had a lot of muscle underneath their suits and they could easily take someone apart in a fight. The men smiled warmly at Natsumi and Fuyuhiko, bowing to them and welcoming them to the city. These men were their security escort, to the party. Security precautions were taken very seriously during this event and some of the Oyabun’s best men were assigned to this party in particular. Hajime, Natsumi, Peko and Fuyuhiko rode in a car similar to the one they had taken during summer vacation. Their security entourage formed a small caravan, and escorted the car to its destination. They reached a large, traditional style resort, perched on a hill, overlooking the cityscape. The architecture was rustic yet pristine. Many wealthy couples could be seen, exiting from fancy cars and limos and lining up to be checked in by the front door security. Hajime and the others took a back route. They were obviously VIPs and didn’t need to undergo the same security checks as everyone else.

They entered a large ballroom where there were tables were lined with delicious food and baked goods. There were tables with champagne and fine wine as well. Live music could be heard in the background, along with scattered conversations. People stood around conversing, discussing topics that were way above Hajime’s head and pay-grade. This room was filled with some of Japan’s most important and powerful people, and Hajime couldn’t help but feel small in comparison. He followed and stayed close with his own group. Natsumi and Fuyuhiko seemed to be a little on edge too.

  _“I was never a big fan of these parties. Half the bastards in this room would push their own grandma down the stairs if they could make a bit of cash. I recommend you don’t talk to any of these people, Hajime. Some of them are alright, but a lot of them are just bad news”_  Fuyuhiko warned him, as they walked. They stopped by one of the tables and Fuyuhiko grabbed himself a glass of wine. Hajime wanted to warn him not to overdo it again, but he knew that conversation would just end with Fuyuhiko getting angry and calling him a _“bastard.”_ Hajime instead surveyed the room, watching the partygoers conversing and gossiping. Natsumi crossed her arms and sighed to herself. _“It’s only natural in our family business that we're gonna have to deal with people who aren't as honorable as we are”_ She said, disapprovingly.

( _Exactly how honorable is that?_ ) Hajime sarcastically jeered in his head. Fuyuhiko turned to Hajime too, after taking a few small sips of his red wine and visibly cringing at the taste.

 _“Our father says that we need to start working on our public face. And we need to get used to dealing with these rich and powerful assholes and scumbags. Because like it or not, they are the ones who have real influence in this country. And if our family don't keep an eye on them and doesn't manage this delicate system, then everything becomes chaos.”_ Fuyuhiko explained.

This was a world that was totally alien to Hajime. This was the true underbelly of Japan, and this underbelly was not separate from the rest of society. It was a sophisticated power structure with hierarchy and interweaving connections. It was deeply entwined with everyday business and politics. It was difficult for him to imagine what it must be like to grow up in this kind of world. Hajime had just been recently introduced to it, but Fuyuhiko, Peko and Natsumi had been forged by it. He began to feel concern for them. One day the weight of this world would fall on their shoulders, as it did on their father’s. Speaking of which, the Oyabun was supposed to arrive soon. Hajime would finally be able to come face to face with one of the most powerful men in Japan.

The music suddenly stopped, creating an eerie silence in the room which made people instantly quiet down. Hajime looked over to see a man in a suit, dinging a metal spoon on his glass to get everyone’s attention. The man was young, in his mid 20s and he wore a white suit. The man had short black hair with patterns shaved on the sides. He was well built and looked intimidating. Upon a closer look, Hajime could see that his face was slightly scarred with cuts. He looked like he had been in some serious fights. He had a sour, annoyed look on his face, that seemed to be permanent. As the room grew quieter, he spoke up.

 _“Attention, honored guests of the Kuzuryu. The Oyabun is about to arrive. So please deliver him your undivided attention”_ He said, in a tone of voice that made it sound like an order, rather than a request. Everyone gravitated towards the back entrance of the ballroom. Hajime and the others had to practically shove their way through.

The double doors to the room were slowly opened by two of the well dressed servants. A man walked in, flanked by an entourage of four suited guards. The man had an aura to him that was palpable. He was only a few inches taller than Hajime, but he was rugged, well built, and carried himself with distinction. Hajime could instantly see a resemblance to Fuyuhiko and there was no denying it. This man was the Oyabun, Matsushige Kuzuryu. The man stopped for a moment to look around the room before he smiled.

 _“Welcome, my honored guests and friends. I hope none of you had trouble finding the place.”_ He said, which elicited a moderate, but somewhat forced laugh from the crowd

 " _I am proud to have you all here for our 45th annual winter festival. This has been a prosperous year for us all and I am certain that next year will be the same. So, please indulge yourselves, this evening. You know I will”_ He said, walking over to take a glass of wine off of one of tables. He gulped it down in one fast motion, as the room clapped. _“I wish to speak to each and every one of you at least once tonight. So, please don't be shy in approaching me. Even if I do end up having a few too many drinks”_ He said, lifting the empty glass in his hand, closing the speech on a light note. The crowd gently applauded and then The Oyabun made his way through the room, shaking some hands and interacting with guests, as the background music resumed.

 Hajime couldn't deny that he was impressed by the Oyabun. He had such an air of confidence about him.  Some aspects of his looks and demeanor closely reminded him of Fuyuhiko. However, the Oyabun had far greater poise, emotional control, class, distinction, and an unwavering persona. Decades of experience had morphed him into a monument of a man. Hajime couldn’t imagine what it must be like for Fuyuhiko to have to live up to such a lofty father figure. The expectations placed on his shoulders must have been absolutely crushing.  The Oyabun had many individuals he had to greet and interact with before he could take some personal time with his own family. Such was the life of the Japanese godfather. Business matters had to be attended to strictly, in order to keep order and stability within the organization. Finally, after over an hour, he was able to make his way over to Hajime’s group.

  _“Man, some of those guys will talk your fuckin ear off”_ He chuckled. His guards were also in tow, but they kept their distance, serving to keep other party goers away from the group, allowing the Oyabun and his children some privacy. 

 _“Natsumi, you look stunning. I swear you look more and more like your mother every day”_ He said, causing her to blush, adorably. She walked up to him and wrapped her arms around him. 

 _“Stop trying to embarrass me, dad…._ ” she complained as he embraced her warmly.

 _“You really gotta get someone to write better speeches for you dad”_ Fuyuhiko said, smugly. The Oyabun turned to him and chuckled.

 _“Hey now, that’s cold. I spent all night writing that.”_ he said, sarcastically. Fuyuhiko crossed his arms.

 _“Anyway, it's good to see you, dad”_ he said, grumpily. Fuyuhiko felt that he was far too adult and a badass for a hug, so he reached out his hand to shake his father’s. The Oyabun clasped Fuyuhiko’s hand in yanked him in for a quick one armed hug and pat on the back.

 _“You are making our family proud, son. Never forget that.”_   The Oyabun turned his attention to Peko and gracefully took her hand.

 _“My my, Miss Pekoyama! You are looking womanly, beyond your age. My son is lucky to have you at his side”_ He said, kissing her hand in a gentlemanly manner. This caused Peko to blush crimson, as well as Fuyuhiko.

 _“Y-you are far too kind, sir.”_ She said, smiling shyly.

 _“Hey pops. Lay off a little, will ya?”_ He fumed as the Oyabun let out a laugh.  The Oyabun then looked at Hajime. As their eyes locked, Hajime felt a tsunami of anxiety. The Oyabun seemed like a good man, but that wasn’t enough to ease Hajime’s anxiety. This man was one of the most powerful people in Japan, perhaps even in all of Asia.  On top of that, he was Natsumi’s father, so that didn’t help things. He stood in front of Hajime and reached out his strong hand.

 _“You must be Hajime Hinata. Finally I get to meet my daughter’s savior face to face. I trust you've been doing a good job looking after my little princess.”_ He said taking Hajime’s hand in a strong grip. Natsumi blushed furiously in embarrassment and puffed her cheeks angrily.

 _“Daaad!”_ she whined at him calling her that in front of Hajime. Her father just chuckled, slowly letting go of Hajime’s hand.

 _“It’s nice to meet you too sir. Its an honor. I never really got to thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”_ he said, humbly. Natsumi was a bit confused by this and wondered what Hajime was referring to exactly. He had brought this up before and she couldn’t help but feel like she missing something.

 _“There is no need to thank me, my boy. In the Kuzuryu family we believe in equal repayment. No evil deed towards our family goes unpunished and no good deed towards our family goes unrewarded. That’s just how we do things”_ he said, patting Hajime on the shoulder.  _“Anyway, we can discuss things more later. It’s about time to for the feast. I'm starved”_ he said, as the aroma of the finest food was already wafting its way towards them.m They all made their way to the banquet hall, which was lavished with an absurdly long table. The table was decked out with a veritable smorgasbord of foods. Some of them were Japanese dishes, but there were also many western holiday delicacies had made their way into the mix, which Hajime had only rarely been able to try.

The Oyabun sat at the far end, at the head of the table. He was, of course, immediately flanked by Natsumi and Fuyuhiko, his children. Hajime and Peko sat next to the two siblings, respectively. It made Hajime feel a little uneasy to be put in a position this close to the Oyabun, despite being, by all accounts, a nobody, compared to everyone else in the room.  Everyone settled into their respective seats and the room fell silent as the Oyabun rose from his chair. He held a small glass of Sake. Upon closer observation, Hajime noticed that they had all been given cups of warm sake, for the purpose of a toast.

 _“Everyone, if I may have your attention, I would like to call a toast, before we partake. It is customary that we raise a glass to one among us who has shown exemplary service to our family. And that is why I would like to dedicate this toast to a young man who is with us today. Mr. Hajime Hinata._ ” He said, as Hajime felt his heart drop into his stomach. His face grew pale. He looked up at the Oyabun with shock. The man was gesturing in his direction and the whole room was honing their attention in on Hajime. Hajime didn’t know if he was supposed to say something or just stay silent. So, he sat there awkwardly.

 _“This young man put his life on the line, and suffered grievous injuries to save the life of my precious Natsumi, the light of my life. He showed bravery and dedication, and he has even agreed to continue protecting my daughter. I am proud to have him under my employment, as my daughter’s confidant and protector. So, I can think of no one better to dedicate this toast to.”_ he said, raising his glass.  Natsumi puzzled at one of the last things he said.

( _Employment?” What?_ )

Hajime never mentioned anything like that to her before. She turned to Hajime and whispered  _“What did he mean by that?”_ But she was drowned out as everyone cheered and else raised their glasses in unison. Everyone began eating, except for Natsumi. She thought things over for a moment and then turned to her father.

 _“Dad, what did you mean when you said that Hajime is under your employment?”_ She asked, in a demanding tone. The Oyabun looked at her casually.  

 _“Oh. Hajime agreed to work as your confidant at Hope’s Peak. He did a good job protecting you before, so I figured he seemed right for the job. He’s even been training with Peko, for that very purpose.”_ he explained. Peko also looked up from her food and tilted her head curiously at Natsumi.

 _“Were you not aware of this, Lady Natsumi? I am terribly sorry. I would have told you if I had known”_ She said, earnestly.  
  
Natsumi grew more flustered. She turned to Hajime.

 _“W-what is all this? Why didn’t you tell me any of this? My father was paying you to look after me this whole time!?”_ she asked, starting to look upset and angry. Hajime stopped eating and looked at her, seeing the distress in her eyes. 

 _“Woah woah, it's no big deal. It was just as a sort of precautionary measure, on your dad's part. I agreed to it.”_ Hajime explained, trying to calm her down. Natsumi continued to fume angrily.

 _“If it’s not a big deal then why did you keep this secret from me?! This whole time….”_ She trailed off before standing up, out of her seat and then stormed off.

Hajime reached after her.

 _“Wait! Natsumi…..”_ he calledas she left the banquet hall to head outside. 

 _“Dammit.... It looks like I made a miscalculation”_ Natsumi’s father chuckled. _“Looks like even after all these years, I still don't understand women. I’m not even sure that I want to, at this point.”_ he joked, as Hajime stood up. 

 _“Please excuse me, sir. I’m going to go after her.”_ He said. The Oyabun nodded.

 _“You should. Her food’s gonna get cold. Tell her to hurry back”_ He said, as Hajime hurried after Natsumi. He looked around the ballroom but couldn’t find her. Eventually he found her standing outside on the balcony, in the cold winter air.

 Natsumi was leaning against one of the railings, glumly, looking out at the lights of Sendai in the distance. She wasn’t wearing a coat and Hajime could see her shivering slightly.

 _“You shouldn’t be out here without a coat, you know. You’re gonna get sick”_ Hajime said. Natsumi didn’t move from her spot.

 _“Whatever….”_ she mumbled, dismissively. Hajime walked up behind her and took off his coat. He put it on her back and shoulders, encasing her in a comforting warmth. He was wearing a long sleeve collared shirt underneath it, so he was relatively fine in the cold air.

 _“What are you, my babysitter? That’s what my father hired you for, right?”_ She sneered, cynically. Hajime sighed and scratched his head.

 _“I don't know why you’re so bent out of shape about this. It’s not like it matters. It doesn’t change anything-”_ he said before Natsumi yelled.

 _“Yes it does!”_ she snapped angrily. She sulked and her eyes were watery. _“I thought that….. Actually, I don't know what I thought. Just forget it”_ She trailed off, staring out at the city, depressed. Hajime pondered for a few moments. The only sound to be heard was a whistling breeze and the faint murmurs of the banquet hall.

 " _Do you think the only reason why I stuck around with you was because your father was paying me?”_ Hajime asked, to which Natsumi spun around to look at him angrily. She had tears welling in her eyes.

 _“Why wouldn’t I think that!? Suddenly everything makes sense!  Why you’ve been hanging out with me all these months, why you’ve been able to put up with me this whole time, why you’ve been helping me….... I should have realized it earlier. Everything adds up now”_  she ranted, as the tears began to overflow down her cheeks. She couldn’t stand the idea of crying in front of him again, so  she raised her forearm to cover her eyes. _“I was stupid! fucking stupid! Why didn’t I see it!? Why did I think ...that we…..”_

She was interrupted as Hajime grabbed her wrist and pulled her arm down out of her face. He looked down into her eyes for just a few brief moments. He then moved in, closed his eyes, and pressed his lips to hers. Her eyes went wide with surprise for a few brief moments as their lips met. Her eyes slowly closed and then she wrapped her arms around him, kissing him back. They just went at each other. They held each other close as their lips remained locked for what felt like forever. Time seemed to slow down for them. Natsumi placed her hand on the back of his head as they passionately made out, under the stars. They finally broke away from each other and panted slightly. Their hearts were both drumming an orchestral avalanche in their chests. They just looked at each other for a moment. Hajime took Natsumi’s hand in his.  
  
_“Listen to me Natsumi. I don't care about your dad’s money or about anything else. All I want is to be by your side. I just want you. That’s it. Don't ask me why. I can’t tell you for sure. All I know is that ever since I met you, I’ve been living, for once. For once, I don't want to be anywhere else other than where I am, right here. Right now.”_ he said, taking her hand and placing it on the left side of his chest, where she could feel his throbbing heartbeat.

 Natsumi felt like she was going to have a heart attack. She stared into his eyes, struggling not to cry again, as she leaned in towards his face, to kiss him again, but as their lips met, the door of the deck suddenly opened. Natsumi and Hajime jumped as it swung open and they moved apart from each other just in time. Fuyuhiko was standing there, in the doorway, annoyed.

 _“Hey! How long are you two gonna stand out here? Your fuckin food’s getting cold….. Man it's cold as shit out here.”_ he said clutching his arms.

 Hajime glanced at Natsumi and she glanced back at him, exchanging a sly smile. As Fuyuhiko turned to walk back inside, Natsumi slipped in close to Hajime again and planted a kiss on his cheek.

“ _Thank you, Hajime”_ she whispered.


End file.
